Imagine Utopia
by The Lost Hokage
Summary: Long ago, the Deity of Knowledge created the world and shared her knowledge with the people in it. The power was passed on from generation to generation, but the last Deity was defeated by the goddesses after trying to destroy the Hyper Dimension. Now, though, a new Deity has arisen and holds the power to change all of Gamindustri. How will the CPUs deal with this new threat?
1. Chapter 1 & Author’s Notes

Imagine Utopia: An HDN Spin-Off

By: The Lost Hokage

Please note that this is my first attempt at writing, both on this site and in general. Please keep this in mind when offering critiques.

In addition, the HyperDimension Neptunia series of games, the animation, as well as the manga are the property of their creators. I do not own any characters, settings, or ideas used in this story (except for one character and one setting that I created).

I am a Naruto fan, but similarities to characters present in Naruto are merely coincidental.

 **Chapter 1**

It was a cold day in Lastation, unusually so for the time of year. As far as the eye could see, people hurriedly scrambled into and out of stores and office buildings, pushing and shoving each other but quickly turning to apologize afterward. A cool breeze blew by, picking up and dropping leaves that had fallen from the few trees in the highly industrialized nation. At the feet of benches, birds gathered and pecked at crumbs left by old passerby, stopping to chirp every few seconds before taking flight again.

The skyline was dominated by the towering Basilicom, home of the nation's CPU and CPU Candidate. These two were the most influential people in the entire nation, holding political, militant, and economic power. They answered only to themselves, and the building served to display that authority. Its tall stature set it above all of the other buildings in the nation, and the intricate designs around the outside gave off a quaintly regal atmosphere, which was appropriate due to the CPU's standing.

Just outside the Basilicom, an equally quaint man sat on one of the many plain benches that riddled the streets. His appearance was strikingly plain and lackadaisical, as he wore a pitch black jacket that he kept unzipped to reveal a plain grey shirt underneath. He wore simple jeans, but instead of proper walking attire, he wore black socks with black house slippers. Overall, an outsider would be likely to make comments on the amount of black he wore, and they would be right in doing so; the commonality of the color in his attire was somewhat off-putting.

His chocolate-brown eyes and jet black hair were covered by his jacket's hood. Overall, this was simply the finishing touch on a very suspicious ensemble, and this was made no more evident than by the questioning looks he was given by passerby. Every few seconds, a married couple and their child would walk by and comment on this man to each other, remarking on his suspicious appearance or his choice in clothing. Although his intentions weren't clear, sitting outside the Basilicom did not send a good message to the public eye.

This did not seem to bother the man much, as he got up and walked towards the door of the Basilicom. He placed his hands in his pockets and kept his head held low, so that one would have great difficulty in seeing his face. He approached the doors, but as he got closer, he hesitated for a moment to appreciate the effort put into the building's entirety. Even the doors were laced with ornate ironwork, and although the doors slid open upon approach, they had designs reminiscent of game cases where one would normally push a door to open.

The man walked up to the door, so close that there was perhaps only a few inches of separation between it and his face. A camera scanned his body and conducted an identification test, a standard security procedure adopted by all four nations to ensure that only authorized personnel could enter the Basilicom. As expected, the test turned out negative and the doors did not open, but whether this was due to the man's face covering or him being unlisted remained unknown. This did not seem to bother the man, and what happened next was truly shocking.

He took a step forward, and instead of simply colliding with the door as a normal person would, his leg seemed to phase through the door as a ghost's body would. He took another step, and now his entire right flank was inside of the door. A third step pulled his entire body through the door, but once he completed this motion he was stopped by several guards.

"Sir! This is a restricted area! Turn back now!" The man was surrounded by three Guards, all wielding state of the art weaponry entrusted only to the elite among the security force. Most people would tremble in fear at the sight of this.

The man uttered a simple grunt, completely unfazed by their threats. He took another step forward, and the guards tightened their grips on their weapons.

"This is your last warning! Turn back or we are authorized to use lethal force!" At this point, any sane person would turn back and leave with nothing but a mild scolding. Staring down the barrels of three guns in the hands of highly trained personnel would be too intimidating for most.

The man opened his arms, as if he was inviting the guards to attack him. Although his face was still concealed, it would be reasonable to assume that he was smirking in arrogance. He seemed completely assured that in a conflict, he would emerge victorious.

The guards opened fire, and, to their surprise, their bullets merely impacted the door and left large, winding cracks on the glass. It was as if the man wasn't there at all, but this explanation could not be used since he was clearly visible. The man put his hands back into his pockets and took another step forward.

"Hyaaaah!" One of the three guards lunged toward the man in a desperate attempt to stop his siege of the Basilicom. Of course, he merely fell through his body, but then the man suddenly turned around. He placed his hand on the back of the guard's head and, using the momentum provided by his motion, threw him through the door and onto the street outside. A pool of blood formed around his body.

The two remaining guards trembled in fear at the force in front of them. In that moment, they truly believed that the thing in front of them was not human. Although it resembled a man, it was simply a monster or some kind of abomination, at least in their eyes. No matter what it was, the goal remained: stop this man from making his way to the atrium, where he would find the CPU and CPU Candidate.

The man pulled his hand out of his pocket and very slowly raised his hand out of his sleeve. The seconds crawled by as the two guards anxiously waited to see the actions of their mysterious assailant. Suddenly, a wave of force emerged from his hand, blowing the two guards back and into the wall behind them. A sickly crack emerged from one of the guard's backs as he impacted the wall, but the other was lucky enough to impact a stack of boxes that cushioned his fall.

The guard, dazed, looked up and saw the man walking toward him. With his last bit of energy, he attempted to grab his weapon, but it had been knocked out of arm's reach by the mysterious man's attack. Terrified, he blocked his face with his hands, but when the man kneeled next to him, he lowered his guard.

"Would you happen to know where Noire and Uni are? I have urgent business with them, and need to see them as soon as possible." The man's voice was deep and monotone, as if he were a student bored to tears in a lecture.

"You bastard…I'll never tell you anything."

The man chuckled. "Is that so? Well then, I suppose that means this is the end of the line."

He grabbed one of the guard's weapons and discharged it into the sole survivor, terminating him upon contact.

The man kept walking towards the atrium, following the signs given on the roof for directions. He took off his hood to reveal his face, believing that subtlety was no longer existent. He climbed a flight of stairs and then another until he reached a sign upon which the word "ATRIUM" was written in an imposing shade of red. He ducked behind a corner and saw a guard reporting to the CPU of the incident downstairs. He must have been the chief of security and had access to video feed, since no one else remained alive to tell the tale.

With explosive speed, the man jumped out from behind his cover and tackled the guard to the ground, where, upon contact, he fell through and was silenced. He got back up and dusted his hands before turning to the CPU.

"My apologies. I needed to have a private discussion with you, and he was getting in the way." The man seemed completely unfazed by the blood on his hands from earlier, and proceeded to stare into the CPU's red eyes.

"So you're the one he told me about, the one who caused all that trouble downstairs. I don't think I've seen you before, but you seem familiar somehow."

"Likely just a case of déjà vu. Normally, it is a huge honor for a civilian like me to see the CPU for themselves." The man's breathing was completely steady and he showed no signs of weariness or upset.

"Have you forgotten that you're now a national level criminal? Now that we've met, it's my obligation to do justice!" Noire's breathing sped with anger towards the threat in front of her, and the grip on her weapon tightened.

"Ah, that's right. I suppose I am, aren't I?" He gave a wry giggle, and for a moment he appeared as a little boy innocently laughing at a mistake he was ignorant to.

"…! How can you laugh at the death of these people? Whatever you are, I'll defeat you and restore peace!" Noire lunged towards the man and slashed downwards in an attempt to rend his lungs.

"Whoops. Care to try again?" Noire's attack simply fell through the man's body just as the guard's bullets did.

"So that's the ability that guard told me about. You're a tricky one, aren't you?" Noire recovered from the foul strike and steadied herself again, staring down the threat in front of her.

"Hmm, are you sure you want to do this? Y'know, nobody else needs to get hurt today." He readied his hands and stared blankly into Noire's eyes, ready for the battle that would likely ensue.

"You don't get to kill my people and just back out!" Noire readied herself for the exchange of blows.

The man let out a sigh. "Fine. We will do things your way."

Noire lunged towards the man and made a left-to-right slashing motion. He phased through and reached out for her sword, but she quickly pulled her hands back and prepared for another attack. Noticing this, the man ran through her and, once behind her, wheeled around and attempted to punch the back of her neck. Noire quickly wheeled around and blocked the strike with the back of her sword, stopping his blow short. He phased his hand through the blade and reached for her throat, but she punched towards his stomach, causing him to step back in reaction.

"You certainly fight like a CPU should. You have done well." The man began to rub his wrist.

"Hmph. I could say the same to you. I didn't expect things to turn out like this." Noire began to think of ways to eliminate the attacker when he began to speak again.

"I'd hate to interrupt your thinking, but could you please tell your sister to shoot? She's been aiming at me for the last few minutes and it feels awkward."

Uni emerged from around the corner, gun loaded and in hand. She seemed just as intent as her sister to put down the man in front of her, made evident by the rage etched into her eyes. Her grip on her weapon tightened as she saw the man responsible for attacking her home.

The man raised his hands and emitted a massive wave of force throwing both sisters off their feet. Uni hit the wall with a deafening thud while Noire landed about ten feet away, impacting a table and shattering it. Noticing the scenario, he walked slowly towards Uni until he was directly in front of her. He picked up her weapon and began to speak to her.

"My, things aren't going very well for you, are they? To think, a mere mortal would kill the CPU Candidate of Lastation, hailed as the greatest nation in all the world." He placed his hand on her throat and began to squeeze.

"Ack…ack…Noire…" Uni desperately reached out for her weapon, but the assailant held it tantalizingly out of her reach. Unbeknownst to the man, Noire had recovered and was beginning to regain her stamina, ready to finally put an end to the attack.

"Shhh….just let go and close your eyes. All of your sorrow and all of your pain…it'll all be over soon." The man's grip on her throat tightened, inflicting more pain on Uni. Her vision began to fade, and she could barely think at all. Just as things began looking bleak, a small flash of light appeared behind the man.

"Raaaaaargh!" In the time the man was choking Uni, Noire had transformed. She slashed downwards and to the right across his back, leaving a devastating gash.

"Gwooooh!" The man grimaced in unimaginable pain, dropping Uni and coughing up blood. He collapsed to his knees and a pool of blood formed around him.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: A Reflection in Blood

The man bled steadily through the open wound on his back. As he looked down at the ground, he saw his face in the forming pool of crimson blood, and he gave a wry smile. At the same time, Uni collapsed to her knees and began coughing as she felt her lungs refill with precious air. Had it been just a few more seconds without the substance, it was possible that she would have lost consciousness.

"Uni, are you alright?" Noire had deactivated her goddess transformation and was now standing beside her younger sister, her hand on her shoulder.

"Y-yeah, I'm alright." Uni's vision returned to normal and she saw the man staring at his reflection in the blood. She saw his chocolate eyes and pitch black hair and for a moment, he looked familiar…

The man hacked and wheezed and struggled to cling to life. His vision faded in and out and the man before him looked weak and frail. He fell onto his back and the flow of blood hastened until it seemed that he would flood the room with the dark red fluid.

"You…didn't hold back one bit, did you?" The man's voice was shaky with fatigue and his eyelids wavered. His jacket and part of his shirt were now completely soaked with blood, and the back of his head and neck were also being coated.

"Of course not! You were trying to kill my sister!" Noire's reply was indignant. Her voice raised on the last word to indicate her anger towards him; although this was an odd mode of expression, the message was clear to those who heard it.

"Yeah…I guess I was…" The man's voice was wistful and melancholy, as if he was looking into a brighter past by staring at his blood. He attempted to stand but his legs buckled below him and he fell again.

"Rrgh…you have good eyes, Noire. You're sharp as usual." He used the wall next to him to stabilize himself and stand, leaving a smear of his blood on the wall. He stumbled towards the goddess with a smile on his face.

"…! Do you still want to fight?" Noire took a step back and readied her weapon. Behind the man, Uni aimed her gun at his back, her finger anxiously resting on the trigger.

"I'm no fool. But…you said I looked familiar, right? I…wanted to tell you the truth." The man grimaced in pain and once again collapsed to his knees. He saw his reflection in his blood once again, and he smiled.

"Hmm. You're planning something, aren't you?" Noire readied herself for anything the man might do. No matter how injured he was, the safest assumption to make was that he was still volatile.

"Come on, you wouldn't expect that out of ol' Azzy, would you?" The man lay down on his back once more. He smiled, but not towards anyone or anything in particular.

"How do you know that name?!" At this statement, Uni seemed to grow rather angry. She eyed him very closely, waiting anxiously for his response.

"I know it…because that's…me. I'm…ASJ, the…" With those last words, he finally lost consciousness. On the ground beneath him, a thin layer of blood formed a carpet for him to lay upon, as if he were already lain to rest.

"No way…that can't be. ASJ was…" Uni's eyes widened in shock as she attempted to comprehend that last statement. She stared at ASJ's unconscious body with intensity, as if she expected him to rise again and answer her questions.

Noire walked over and stood next to her. She knew the pain her sister was going through, although she could not fully comprehend its depth. The only thing she wanted was to understand exactly what was going on. Suddenly, an idea struck her.

"Uni, let's take him down to the infirmary. Once we get him patched up, you can ask all the questions you want."

"Right. Let's go." Uni's response was fast and firm, and at this moment it was clear to Noire that a long time ago, they were closer friends than she could have ever imagined. She knew that she, ASJ, and his brother would converse together on the balcony, but that was about the extent of her understanding.

Noire and Uni rushed ASJ down to the Basilicom's infirmary as fast as possible while attempting to diminish blood loss. Since the two only had a basic understanding of medical procedures, Uni had to frantically rattle off instructions to Noire, since it was decided that she was too anxious to perform the operation herself. After what seemed like hours of dreadful silence, Noire spoke.

"Done. All of the necessary equipment has been hooked up and the bleeding is stopped. Thanks for your help, Uni." Noire knew how much her sister wanted to talk with ASJ again. It had been many years since she last saw him, and this passage of time was completely unfamiliar to a goddess, who could feel very little of the passage of time even after seven mortal generations had passed.

ASJ groaned and grumbled. He attempted to turn over in his sleep, but the pain of doing so as well as the shuffling of equipment woke him. He slowly opened his eyes and let out a deep sigh. For a moment, he said nothing, even as the two goddesses eyed him closely. He remembered everything that had transpired in the past few minutes, or were they hours? He had lost track, and it was possible that even days had passed during his unconsciousness. Regardless, the people in front of him had brought him back from the brink of death and he thought it rude to withhold the answers they wanted, so he broke the silence.

"I'll be damned…you actually did it. You actually saved my life. If I weren't in so much pain, I'd be laughing."

"Laughing?! Do you have any idea how long it's been since we talked? Why was this the first thing you did when you came back?!" Uni's indignation was audible and her frustration was tangible. It was as if she were scolding a child, only without the hidden love present in every scolding parent's voice.

"Hmm…I'd assume it's been at least thirty years. Also, do goddesses ever buy new clothes? I'm pretty sure that that's the same outfit you wore the last time I saw you." ASJ was aware of Uni's ire, but did not seem to care.

"Rrgh…how can you be so calm about this? I thought we were close, and then you decide to do this on our first meeting in thirty years!" Uni was growing increasingly impatient.

"I suppose a mortal and a goddess would have a different viewpoint, wouldn't they?" ASJ chuckled. "Immortality skews one's perception of time. To a goddess, thirty years is practically equivalent to the blink of an eye. Thirty years can pass and everything would still appear the same. But for a mortal, thirty years is enough for your life to completely change. You can lose everything you ever had or get everything you ever wanted. To us, time is always something you're racing against. Whether it's getting more time on an exam or being with someone in their final moments, there's never enough time."

"What are you trying to say? Don't tell me you're trying to justify what you did today." Uni has just about had enough. To her, it seemed as though ASJ was purposefully dodging her questions, and her patience was running thin.

"Do you still not get it? My entire life has changed. While you stood in your ivory tower working for 'the good of your nation', I was suffering. While you sat back and reveled in luxury, I had to fight to survive. While you enjoyed your immortality, I watched the people closest to me die. Now do you understand the difference between mortal and goddess?" ASJ's voice was devoid of emotion. He spoke the way a primitive computer would if it were given life.

Upon hearing this, Uni calmed down noticeably. In fact, she would feel regret if not for ASJ's callous actions just about fifteen minutes prior.

"Wow…I didn't think a life could change that drastically in that sho…span of time." She had to consciously stop herself from commenting on the length of time so as not to anger ASJ. To goddesses, thirty years was nothing, but to say so would be like throwing fuel onto the fire, given what he had just said.

"I know you didn't. That applies to all of the goddesses; it's simply impossible for an immortal to grasp the passage of time as a mortal sees it. It is nothing you should be concerned about." ASJ heaved a deep sigh, and once again there was silence. He and Uni both thought back to better days, and as he did, a warm smile spread across his face, but it faded as he spoke once more.

"Well, I appreciate the work you did on me. I'll be going now." He began unhooking cables and other various pieces of medical equipment from himself, and, despite the circumstances, he showed no signs of pain or upset. Even as he stood, the only sign of Noire's attack was the large tear in his jacket.

"What the…?! Where are you going?" Both Noire and Uni's eyes widened with shock at what they were witnessing.

"I'm going to Planeptune. I ran out of food and their restaurants are the cheapest. I'm also a criminal here, so I'm taking a moment to let things mull over before I return." ASJ fell through the ground, and he was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Black and Pink

Planeptune is often regarded as the most technologically advanced out of all four nations, characterized by its high-grade consumer electronics and miraculous scientific advancements. In addition, the nation also manages to stay in tune with the natural world, housing various parks that most citizens regular on a weekly, if not daily basis. Today, ASJ, a national criminal in Lastation, came to the nation to buy food, which is definitely not what most tourists come for.

He approached the border and was instantly greeted by a large electronic sign that blasted in red and green letters 'WELCOME TO PLANEPTUNE!" and a map of the nation underneath. All around him, speakers blared popular music in the nation and someone had posted an image of the goddess Neptune on the arch that housed the sign. All of this put together was a little bit too much for ASJ to handle, and he had to put his hands over his ears for a few moments to regain his balance.

Once he had properly adjusted to the new scenery, he walked towards the visitor reception booth. As opposed to having a human guard on duty, there was instead an automated computer that scanned the visitor's retina as well as various other facial features to match them to a database which (ideally) had every resident of Gamindustri logged to a science, even listing some of their personal preferences.

"Please wait. The system is scanning you now. This may take a few moments." The computer spoke in an automated female voice. A blue beam of light passed over his face three times, sweeping up and down and taking in all of the details of his face.

"Alert. National criminal ASJ is attempting to enter the nation." All around him, sirens blared and flashed bright red lights. People scrambled hurriedly to get away from him and guards surrounded him, all of them pointing their weapons at his center mass.

"Oh, they know me. Well, listen I'm just here for…"

"We won't hear it! We're going to hold you here until the PIE reaches a conclusion!"

"PIE…? Oh! Planeptune Investigation Envoy! Clever, Neptune, very clever. But…is that what "envoy" means?" ASJ, completely unfazed by the guards' threats, put his hand to his chin and began to think.

"Take this seriously, damnit! You're a national criminal and it's our job to hold you here!" The guards were all annoyed at how nonchalant ASJ was, but he still did not seem to care.

"Maybe in Lastation. But, I had to walk several miles to get here and I'll be damned if this is the same nation I just came from." ASJ had never learned of the workings of international law, as it was a topic that had simply never interested him.

"Do you not know the law? Criminals in one nation are wanted in all of the nations! It's to ensure peace!" The guards spoke as if they were reciting from a textbook.

"Sure, keeping the peace. It feels so very peaceful now, wouldn't you agree?" ASJ spoke blandly, almost as if he was trying to anger the guards surrounding him.

"Rrrrghhh…just cooperate and things will go more smoothly!" The guards' patience was running out.

"Whatever, just tell me when the PIE reaches their conclusion or whatever you said they had to do." ASJ let out a little snicker upon saying the acronym.

"They're here now. If you don't provoke them as you did us, I'm sure we can sort things out." The guards turned and left, their anger evident in the weight they placed in their steps.

"So I see the criminal has decided to come to my nation. Well, I don't really like official stuff, so let's try and make this quick, 'kay?" The goddess Neptune could be recognized from a mile away. Her bright pink hair and enthusiastic, almost childish personality made her known the world over.

"Sorry…who are you? I was told I'd be meeting the PIE here." Unfortunately, to someone raised and isolated in Lastation, these qualities would likely be unhelpful in recognizing another nation's goddess.

"So there are still people who don't know me. Strange. I am the patron CPU of Planeptune, Neptune! It's in the name, so it's easy to remember. People always seem to have difficulty pronouncing it, though." Whether it was vibrant red-haired fighters or energetic yellow-haired children, many people seemed to have difficulty pronouncing the goddess' name.

"Uh…sorry to say, but you don't look much like a goddess. And, even if you were, why would the CPU also be the PIE? That seems like too many titles for one person."

"I'm telling you, I am the goddess! I'm also the PIE! That's why I gave it the name, dummy!" Neptune was having a difficult time convincing ASJ of her position, and to make matters worse, she had no idea how to convince him.

"Hmph. Then, where's the CPU Candidate? I'm sure she could clear some things up."

"You think I'm gonna let a criminal see my sister just because he asked? Nuh-uh. Not happening. You're just going to have to believe me."

"Fine then. Let's assume you indeed are the PIE. What is your verdict?"

"Hmm…" Neptune began thinking intensely, although what about was not clear. A few silent moments passed.

"Are we going to stand here forever, or are you going to say something?" ASJ's patience was running thin, although his voice was as monotone as ever.

"I'm trying to think! Don't you know that it's against the law to distract a goddess?" Neptune was making this up.

"Forget I ever said anything." ASJ began walking towards the nation's gate, but stopped to look at the image of Neptune posted by a random passerby. He eyed it closely before he spoke again. "I suppose you are the goddess. How interesting."

"I've been trying to tell you that for the past five minutes! Now do you finally understand?" Neptune was now slightly aggravated at this man's apparent incompetence.

"Interesting. Have you decided upon your verdict yet?"

"Yep. Sure have. I have decided that as long as you don't cause any ruckus, you're free to stay."

ASJ did not respond. He walked past the city entrance and flashed a triumphant smirk at the guards, who were forced by their position to stoically watch him as he walked past. Eventually, he took a turn down an alley and was out of sight.

"Bad move, Nep. Who knows what he'll do now that he's in the nation." Planeptune Guild Intelligence Agent and close friend of Neptune, IF, had returned from a mission and watched the transpiration from behind cover.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. After all, even if he does cause trouble, I can just beat him up and throw him in jail." Neptune said all of this with a prideful smile, as if this idea was a scientific breakthrough.

"I wouldn't be so sure. Do you even know what he's a criminal for?"

"Yeah, he attacked the Lastation Basilicom, right? I got an email that I almost deleted 'cause I thought it was another spam."

"And who did he have to fight and nearly kill to be recognized for that?"

"Noire and Uni, obviously!" Neptune was confused for a moment, but then the realization hit her. "Oh…"

IF let out a slightly frustrated sigh. "Are you going back to the Basilicom now?"

"You betcha!"

"Alright, let's go."

Neptune and IF both hurriedly ran back to the Basilicom. This building could not be more different than its counterpart in Lastation, and this was perhaps due to the distinct variance in the two nations. While Lastation's Basilicom was dominated by a mostly black and gold color scheme, Planeptune's Basilicom was mostly white with pink strips down the width of the building. It appeared as some sort of scientific headquarters, but this appearance was in contrast with Neptune's nature. It was attuned to the CPU Candidate's, though, since she thoroughly enjoyed tinkering with machinery and different kinds of robots.

"Alright, we're at the atrium. Let's conduct a thorough search to see if he's arrived yet."

"Right!"

Neptune and IF searched from room to room, searching for clues of ASJ's arrival, but found nothing apart from the slippers he wore, which he placed at the top of the staircase as if he were a houseguest.

"Well, he's here. At least he took his shoes off."

IF looked concentrated on something. "Stay quiet for a moment."

"What are we listening for?"

"Just shut up!"

A sound reminiscent of an explosion emerged from the goddess' room. Bright lights flashed from within and various mechanical sounds were heard. There were voices, but they were impossible to discern over the cacophony of other sounds.

"There he is! Let's go!"

Neptune and IF burst down the door, weapons in hand and ready to destroy the threat within.

"Sorry about that. Simply a case of…explosive decomposition, but this happens when working with such volatile elements. Have you got everything sorted on your end?"

Neptune looked dumbfounded. "Wh-wha? What's going on here?"

ASJ turned to face her. "Oh, hello. I was helping your sister in one of her technological escapades. My apologies for the explosion; we were working with highly delicate substances that I carelessly mishandled. Luckily, nothing was damaged."

"So…that explosion just then, nobody was hurt? And you haven't done anything to Gear, have you?" IF seemed very confused at what was unfolding.

"No. Nepgear is completely safe. In fact, we were deeply interested in this project before you entered." ASJ stood up. "Neptune, you should have told me your sister was this intelligent. It was a pleasure to work with her." He turned to leave.

"Same to you, Mr….I didn't get your name."

"ASJ. It was an honor to work with a CPU Candidate. With that, I'll be leaving." He put on his slippers and began walking down the stairs.

"Bye, Azzy!" Neptune and Nepgear spoke in unison. It was a habit of the two to assign nicknames to their friends as signs of friendship.

ASJ frantically ran up the stairs. "Did you…just call me Azzy?"

Neptune and Nepgear both looked confused. "Do you…not want us to call you that?"

ASJ shook his head. "Not at all, I was just…surprised a little. No one's called me that since…anyways, I'd better get going. Farewell." With that, he fell through the ground and was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Snow Falls

The nation of Lowee is known all over Gamindustri as a winter wonderland, a place where children can run and frolic in the snow without a care in the world. The style of the houses and various other buildings are reminiscent of a children's game, with cartoonish designs and bright, vibrant colors one might find on a youth's game device. Although it is a rather turbulent nation in regards to its economic and political changes, one thing stays consistent in Lowee no matter the time of year—the snow. It is always snowing, and sometimes people stay inside on the rare days where it stops as opposed to the opposite.

Today, ASJ came to Lowee to blow off some steam. Ever since the recent debacle with Azna=Leb and the License System, Blanc decided that it would be best to loosen security a little bit to help public relations, so ASJ got into the nation with relative ease. This was a relief, since he did not want to even come close to doing violence. He stood in the middle of the road, spread his arms, closed his eyes, and let the snow fall on him. Ever since he was a little boy, snow was something he always enjoyed, and he would regularly visit Lowee just to see the snow fall. As such, he knew that the resident CPU, Blanc, was an aspiring writer and he decided to go to the national library to see if he could spot her.

Sure enough, he found Blanc in deep thought, sitting at a computer and trying not to snap out of frustration. Almost everyone in Gamindustri knew that Blanc's writing was not the best, but saying this aloud would be suicide, since she was rather territorial about the issue. ASJ was not experienced in writing, but he had read enough books to understand how one was written.

"Trying to add another book to the shelves, Blanc? I respect your ambition." ASJ stood over her, looking at the text she had written. In truth, there wasn't much; it seemed as though this were a recently started project.

"I don't know you and I'm trying to think. Please, don't disturb me." Blanc was known for being rough around the edges, and although she did her best to diminish this quality when interacting with her sisters or her people, she found this difficult to accomplish when she was either reading or writing.

"My apologies. However, wouldn't you agree that two heads are better than one? I merely wished to offer you some advice I had amassed over the years. Or, would you prefer if I did not?"

"I'll take what I can get at this point. What have you got?" Blanc looked up and scanned ASJ, curious to see how this unassuming man would turn out.

"Well, it helps to start by developing the setting, then introducing the first character. For example, if it were set in Lowee, you could say 'The nation of Lowee is known all over Gamindustri as a winter wonderland, a place where children can run and frolic in the snow without a care in the world.' Things kind of just line up after that."

"Did you just…never mind. I'll see what I can do." Blanc began typing with impressive dexterity.

"Make sure to not be overly prolix. It's better to use one strong word than it is to use five weaker ones. For example, I could have said 'Make sure not to use too many words', but what I chose instead works better."

"Do you and Neptune get along well?"

"Well, I'm not sure. I went to see her last chap—er, just a few minutes ago. We didn't talk much. Why?"

Blanc gave a small sigh. "Nothing. Thanks for the tips. Anything else?"

"Hmm…maybe. I have to go now, though, so I'll give you my email address so you can ask for more if necessary. It was a pleasure to work with you." ASJ left.

Wishing not to shout, Blanc uttered a quiet 'thank you' and returned to her work. She furiously typed and deleted words, and before she knew it, she had already written a page and a half. Although it was possible that she was ignorant to poor quality, it seemed better than what she had before. Although she still had a lot of work to do before she could classify her story as a book, things were looking up.

Outside, CPU Candidates Rom and Ram were playing in the snow. They formed snowballs of all sizes to throw at each other and any other children that joined in the game. ASJ stepped outside and watched the children play, watching the shapes they made with snow with particular interest. His inner mathematician was going wild, calculating volume, arcs of travel and velocity at high speeds. Eventually, after the other children had left, he approached Rom and Ram and offered a challenge.

"I'll give you some candy if you can make a perfect sphere out of snow." He knew that this task was close to impossible given the nature of snow and the human hand, but he was interested to see the way the twins approached the challenge.

"A perfect sphere? That's easy! Here, Rom, help me win some free candy!" Ram eagerly ran out to gather snow.

The two began grabbing clusters of snow, molding and compacting it into spheres. Once they were done, they had the other appraise the construct's shape and whether or not it was spherical. If it was decided that it needed to be rounder or smaller, the two would break apart the snowball and begin work again. After about five minutes of continuing like this, the twins presented their work to ASJ.

"Here! Done!" Ram eagerly showed the snowball to ASJ.

"Hmm…it does look awfully spherical. Give me a moment; I'll run some mental calculations and determine if you win the prize."

ASJ knew the answer already, but pretended to think to raise the twin's anxiety. He 'wrote' on his palm, counted with his fingers, and did all sorts of things to work up their enthusiasm. Eventually, he put his hands back into his pockets and spoke.

"Sorry, but it's not a perfect sphere. You don't win the prize."

Rom was confused. "But…it looks like a sphere?"

Ram followed up to this response. "Yeah! It's as round as we can make it!"

ASJ chuckled. "The reality is that molding a perfect sphere with your hand is impossible. The closest thing to a perfect sphere exists only in the outermost reaches of space." He kneeled down to be at about equal height with the twins. "However, I wasn't interested in whether or not you made a perfect sphere. I wanted to see how you tried to solve the problem. These are yours." He reaches into his jacket pockets and pulled out two bags of the same candy.

Ram was confused, but excited to have received this saccharine gift. "I don't really get it, but thanks!"

Rom, as sure as always, followed up her sister. "Yeah, thanks…"

Blanc walked out of the library and ran behind ASJ, anger in her voice. "What are you doing with my sisters?"

ASJ turned to face Blanc, staring directly into her eyes. "I was merely administering a test, of sorts." He took a step towards her. "Your sisters are completely unharmed."

Both of the twins ran over to her. "Yeah, he even gave us candy!" Ram happily held out the bag.

Blanc took it and examined it for about thirty seconds. She turned to ASJ. "You haven't done anything to this candy, have you?"

ASJ opened the bag and popped one into his mouth, much to Ram's chagrin. After a minute of silence and nothing happening, he shrugged. "It doesn't seem like it."

Blanc glared at him. "If any harm befalls either of them after eating this, nowhere is safe for you."

ASJ began to walk away. "That's the spirit. I like your fiery nature when it comes to them. It gives me…hope? Yes, I suppose that's the right word." He was about to take another step, but stopped himself and turned around. "Oh, I forgot. I haven't given you my name yet. Well, it's ASJ. Yes, the same one on national TV." He turned back around and walked away from Blanc until he was out of sight.

Blanc stood still, thinking. "That man was the infamous criminal responsible for heavy damage to the Lastation Basilicom and the attempted murder of their CPU Candidate…but he helped me write and gave Rom and Ram candy. What's going on here?" Snow piled on top of her hat, causing it to grow heavier and heavier until eventually it was so heavy that the weight of it upon her head shook her out of her thought.

Ram turned to Blanc, confused. "Why would a guy as bad as him come and give us candy? Aren't criminals supposed to be nasty people who run from the law?"

Blanc, not quite sure of the answer herself, gave as best an answer as she could. "I guess some criminals have a good heart, separate from their illegal activities."

The three turned away and began walking back to the Basilicom, Rom and Ram delightedly eating their newly procured candy. ASJ, who had not left the nation but had merely hidden in an alleyway, smirked and stepped out from hiding. He stood in the road once more and continued to allow the snow to fall upon him. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a photo album, and smiled upon looking at the cover. He opened it and began to rifle through the pages, stopping to view some for longer stretches of time. Upon seeing the last image, though, he began to cry. He began to weep uncontrollably, and he put his hand on the picture, as if doing so brought him into it. He dragged his hand along it and only after a few moments of crying did he put the album away and continue to cry. He cried for several minutes before finally wiping away his tears and looking up.

Just as always, the snow fell and covered Lowee in a thin white blanket, scrunching underneath the shoes of civilians and providing ammunition for children's games. He looked back down again and saw the place where his tears had fallen, and he noticed that the cold of the day had frozen them into small patches of ice, tiny immortalizations of his sorrow. As he continued to look at the frozen tears and remember the contents of his photo album, he began to cry once more, and as he cried, the snow continued to fall.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: A Mortal's Sorrow

ASJ quietly sat on one of Lowee's benches, feeling the snow fall onto his head and wet his jacket. He held his photo album close, and every so often a tear fell down his face and onto his jeans, a bitter reminder of his past.

By now, it was getting late. Stores were closing for the day and some people had turned off their lights in an effort to sleep. ASJ, having no home, had no reason to go anywhere, but there was a possibility of him being charged for loitering if he remained on the bench as he currently was, so he rose, unsure of where to go. After a few minutes of thought, he settled upon returning to the Lastation Basilicom's balcony, a place where he'd surely be welcome. He brought down his hand with a firm, swift motion and the space around him began to warp and where he was, he was no longer.

From the Lastation Basilicom's balcony, he saw the night sky settle in and take the place of the day, almost the same way a slideshow presentation would. The stars settled in where the clouds once were, and the buildings below glowed with light, characteristic of the people of Lastation's work ethic. At this time of day and from this view, one might find themselves completely lost in the night sky, captivated by the fantastic beauty of the stars and their reds, blues, and whites.

Standing in solitude underneath this beautiful collage of various colors, ASJ could not help but reminisce to better times. He thought back to when he didn't stand alone, and when he always had someone by his side. He thought back to his short-lived time as a Guild agent, when he would be recognized as one of the Guild's more superior workers. Above all else, though, he thought about the contents of the photo album.

"Do sinners get stars?" He thought silently to himself, pondering while staring at the night sky. He reached his hand out, as if he could grab the gem-like stars within his closed hand.

"Would someone like me gem the sky when they died?" His face wrinkled in thought as he stood, arm still outstretched and 'grabbing' the stars.

"What am I thinking…of course not." ASJ sat down on one of the two benches present on the balcony and leaned against the railing. He pulled the album out from within his jacket once more, but did not open it. He merely glanced at the cover and back images, reflecting further on his past.

He thought to his times with his family, although his brother was really the only family he had for most of his life. He remembered the days he would spend with him on this very rooftop, and the jokes they would play on each other. He remembered when he would take the sweets from his brother's bag, but he would always leave them in the same place every time. He remembered how they would playfully try and push each other off the edge and Uni had to stop them before they actually fell.

A warm smile crossed his face as he recalled the thrill he got when he and his brother would illegally sneak to the balcony and stay the night, or when the two had to hurriedly leave before they got noticed by guards or the CPU. He closed his eyes and remembered when they almost got kicked out when they were discovered, and how they had to beg to remain. He fell asleep remembering he and his brother standing next to each other with elated smiles on their faces, commemorating the day they became Guild agents.

All around, lights flickered and danced like a great theatre show, brightening and dimming the same way actors project and diminish their voices. The hours of the night ticked by, and the stars moved across the sky in accordance with the passage of time. The only sound audible from the balcony was ASJ's slow, deep breathing, and from the ground, no sound would be present at all apart from lone passerby or machinery operating. The silence would be difficult to comprehend for anyone unacquainted with the concept, but it was where ASJ felt at home.

ASJ awoke to the sound of birds chirping and taking flight, the bright morning sun gleaming into his vision. He slowly opened his eyes and stood up from the bench, stretching his arms widely and lethargically. It was then that he remembered working with Nepgear the prior day, attempting to devise a machine whose purpose was lost on him. He decided to return to the Planeptune Basilicom to see if she had continued working on the project. He brought down his hand one more and, similarly to his exit from Lowee, the space around him warped and in a few seconds he was on the Planeptune Basilicom balcony.

From outside, he saw Neptune, Nepgear, and Histoire, the nation's Oracle, discussing something, although he could not discern what through the door and across the distance. Curious, he walked over and opened the door just a little so they would not notice him.

"I've never heard or seen anything like that before. You said he fell through the ground?" Histoire was often the one who kept Neptune and her shenanigans in check due to her serious demeanor and superior work ethic.

"Yep. It was like he was a ghost from one of those bad horror movies. Just fell right through."

"There didn't seem to be any magic involved, either. There was no light, sound, or anything."

ASJ stepped through the open door. "It was not a spell. Neptune is right. I am an apparition."

Neptune looked over in shock. "Wha-? You're actually a ghost?"

ASJ was disappointed by this remark. "I know this is the author's first story and this is a website full of less than stellar writing, but he wouldn't stoop that low. I'm a human."

Histoire closed her eyes and held her head low. "Not you, too…"

ASJ removed his slippers and placed them by the door in proper manner. "Don't give me that face. I'm merely here to continue working with Nepgear. We were deeply involved in technological tinkering, but we were cut short." He took a few steps towards Nepgear before he stopped next to Histoire.

"Is something the matter? Why did you stop?"

ASJ turned to face the small Oracle, excitement and interest in his eyes. "That book. What's in it? Can I read it?"

Histoire was shocked by the abruptness of this comment. "The book? It is merely a documentation of…"

Histoire's words fell on deaf ears as ASJ madly attempted to wrestle her off of the book. After a few minutes of struggle, he finally managed to tear her from the book, sending the fairy-like creature spiraling downwards, only to fall into Neptune's diving hand. ASJ licked his lips and began to read, only to lose all of his previous interest.

"This is completely nonsensical. How could anyone make sense of this?" He handed the book back to Histoire.

Dazed, Histoire sat herself back onto the book and regained her altitude. "Mortals cannot read it. There is a special sealing magic placed on the text."

ASJ frowned, defeated. "Really? That's interesting. However, I'm afraid I cannot continue this. My work with Nepgear simply must come first. May I have your name before we part?"

"I am Histoire. I am surprised by your formality, given the happenings of the last few moments."

"Yes, my apologies. I suppose you could call it epistemology. Whenever I see an opportunity to learn before me, I can't help myself. Anyways, I will be going." With that, ASJ and Nepgear walked into the goddess' room. Almost immediately, mechanical sounds and various technical terms could be heard from within as the two got to work.

Neptune and Histoire stood in silence for a few moments, confused as to what to make of ASJ. Although a national criminal, he held a strong sense of deference to the point where he removed his slippers before entering the building. He was polite and respectful, and apparently shared Nepgear's love for machines.

"In all my years of working as this nation's Oracle, I don't think I've ever met anyone quite like him."

"Yep, he's certainly unique."

Within the room where ASJ and Nepgear were working, chaos was unfolding. Pistons contracted, steam blew, and volatile, obscure chemicals bubbled. It was nearly impossible for the two to hear each other through the cacophony of various sounds within the room, and so they had to yell as loudly as they could to even have a chance of conveying their message. After a few moments of intense sound, a brief period of silence allowed ASJ to speak.

"Sorry I couldn't stay for long, but I have to get going now. Goodbye."

"Okay. Thanks for working with me!" Nepgear flashed a bright, happy smile.

ASJ stepped out of the room and faced Neptune and Histoire. He set out on his way, but he suddenly turned around as if he had forgotten something.

"Ah, I almost forgot. Neptune, I had a query for you. I hope I'm not bothering you."

"Uh…sure, go right ahead."

"Okay. Please, bear with me and don't say anything until I'm finished asking."

"Just say it already! We don't need any more suspense!"

"Fine." ASJ took a step closer to Neptune and placed his hands in his pockets. For an unknown reason, it felt as though the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees as a chilly draft blew through the vicinity. "Given the choice, would you keep the life of Nepgear or your nation?"

Neptune was shocked. "What the-? Why would you ask that out of the blue?"

ASJ smiled. "Don't worry if you need to think. A long time ago, someone asked me that same question. I never actually gave them an answer." He frowned as he thought back to those days.

"I'd spare Nepgear. Nations come and go, but I can't let my sister die."

ASJ chuckled and thought silently for a few moments. "As a sister, that's the best answer you can give. But, by doing that, you'd fail your duties as a CPU."

Neptune was determined. "Well, that's too bad! I couldn't just let my sister die like that!"

From within the room, Nepgear heard all of the commotion and was confused. She opened the door and peeked her head out, curious as to why Neptune was mentioning such strange, dark things. She saw her sister and ASJ talking, with Histoire sitting in silence, observing. ASJ turned his head and looked back, and as he saw her he began to leave.

"Then…if someone like you is leading Planeptune, I believe this nation will flourish." ASJ walked over to the balcony door and put his slippers back on. "Oh, Histoire, you were curious about my power, right?"

"Ye—"

"Then take good notes." ASJ fell through the ground once more, and he was gone without a trace.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Beginning

Histoire thought for a long time, pondering what exactly ASJ's power was. It did not appear as though he used any kind of magic, as there was no light or sound emitted when he fell through the ground. He had also been tangible since he walked in, since he was able to grab her book from under her and assist Nepgear with her work. She was about to think more when the shrill screech of the phone ringing interrupted her thought process.

"I'll go pick it up! Maybe it's the pizza I ordered!" Neptune excitedly skipped off to answer the call.

Histoire let out a sigh of disappointment. "That girl…" She moved down the hallway in the same direction that Neptune just took off in. Deciding that it would be stranger to leave than to stay, Nepgear followed suit.

"State your wish." Neptune lowered her voice as much as possible in jest.

"Is this the goddess?"

"Yes, my child. I am the path to eternal enlightenment." Neptune had to exert conscious effort to keep from snickering as she continued to speak.

"There's some odd activity coming from the Momoiro district. We've tried to stop it ourselves, but we couldn't manage anything."

Histoire wrestled the phone from Neptune's hand. "Have you contacted the local police?"

"We did. They couldn't manage to do anything, either. After about fifteen minutes of trying they told us to just contact you."

"Alright. They'll be on their way."

"Thank you."

Histoire set the phone down and turned towards Neptune and Nepgear. The two turned and left, and she returned to her normal business.

"Did the caller say an address? We don't really know what exact location to search in, do we?"

Neptune, as usual, smiled brightly. "No worries. When we see a cluster of terrified civilians, we'll know we're at our mark."

As the two goddesses walked through the streets of their nation, civilians turned to look and children pointed in glee. For a goddess, this was nothing out of the ordinary—since they were easily the most popular people in their respective nations, it was only natural that people would form lines stretching for miles just to get an opportunity to see their ruler.

"Ah! I think that's it! Over there, where all the people are!"

Nepgear turned her head to see where Neptune was pointing, and her eyes narrowed in confusion. "Wha—?"

In the ruins of a demolished building, a group of citizens were coming together to build what looked like an obelisk. The structure itself was made of grey stone and was inscribed with ornate designs that did not seem to depict anything in particular. A ring of books was set at the base, and some people from the group would occasionally walk up to the ring, place their hands on a book, mutter something incomprehensible to themselves, and continue building.

Neptune walked over to one of the people and put her hand on his shoulder. "Mind telling me what's going on here?"

The man did not respond, nor did he even turn to face Neptune. He simply continued walking in the construction site and muttering to himself as he worked. After a few moments of laying stone, he walked over and placed his hand on one of the books.

"Hey! I'm talking to you! Answer me!" Neptune placed emphasis on each syllable to maximize the chance of him hearing her.

A police officer walked over to her. "It's no use. We've been trying to do the same thing for the last fifteen minutes and nothing's come of it."

Nepgear walked over and stood next to her sister. "Do we know what this…obelisk…does?"

The officer shook his head. "Nope. It doesn't seem to do anything apart from put the civilians on edge."

"Well, if they don't respond to what we say and it doesn't do anything, can't we just leave it alone?"

Frustrated, the officer wrote some things down on a notepad. "It looks like that's our only option for now. The only thing I'm worried about is the fact that civilians will see this every day when they walk to work or even just to the store down the block. Who knows what that'll do to the Shares."

Neptune, feeling uncomfortable with her silence, chimed in. "Well, we obviously can't kill them. Just keep an eye on them and tell me or Histy if something comes up."

The officer clicked his pen and put it into his breast pocket. "Got it. Alright boys, let's pack up! Roll everything back into the station! We've got new orders from the goddess!"

Neptune turned to Nepgear and smiled. "So, I guess our work is done here. Why don't we head back and play some games?"

Nepgear was about to reply when her N-Gear rang. "Uni's calling? Weird, she's normally working at this time of day." She pressed the green call button and Uni's face filled the frame.

"Did you hear anything about those weird obelisks? We just got a report of one in our nation and, apparently, Lowee and Leanbox have the same issue."

"You too? We just finished up talking with an officer about that. Do you have any idea what that obelisk is?"

"No, but Noire just left to check it out. She should be back in a few minutes, and I can ask her then."

Neptune chimed in, and, this time, had an idea to contribute. "Oh, Uni, ask her if she heard what the people were saying. They've been muttering some stuff to themselves, and it's kinda creepy."

Uni nodded. "Got it. I'll ask Noire what they were mumbling. See you, Nepgear." She ended the call, and Nepgear subsequently turned off the N-Gear.

Neptune put her hands on the back of her head. "Oh man, it feels like we've got a mystery on our hands now."

Nepgear nodded in agreement. "Yes…I just wonder what was up with those books. Do you think we can go back and try to read one?"

Neptune began walking back towards the obelisk. "No harm in trying."

The two walked back and saw that the people were no longer working, but were instead on their knees with their hands in the air, as if they were praying. They were humming, but the tune was not one that either Neptune or Nepgear recognized. After a few moments of humming, they all placed their heads to the ground and began chanting.

Neptune turned and whispered to Nepgear. "Now's our chance. Let's go, while they're not looking!" She walked as quietly as possible towards the ring of books, and Nepgear followed suit. The two stood next to the books, and none of the people questioned them or even moved their heads. Neptune reached down to grab one, but her motion was stopped when everyone sprang up.

"You will not be allowed to corrupt the documents." Their eyes betrayed no emotion, and their voices sounded dead, as if they were students bored to tears in a lecture hall. They stared motionlessly at Neptune and Nepgear, waiting for them to make a move.

Neptune retracted her hand. "Eh…sorry…? I'll just leave…" She backed away slowly, and when she was about ten steps away, the people resumed their prayer-like position.

Nepgear sighed in disappointment. "It doesn't look like we can do anything now. Let's head back, Neptune. Histoire is waiting for us."

"Alright. I get the feeling that a crap load of paperwork is waiting for us, though…"

The two returned to the Basilicom and, just as Neptune expected, they were expected to fill out the required documents to state that they were working towards a solution to the problem. The work was rather monotonous, as it only entailed signatures and stamps, but for Neptune, Histoire's lecture was the finishing touch on a boring session of work.

Nepgear and Histoire had discussed the Obelisk issue at length, going so far as to plan a date for a CPU meeting, and all the while Neptune was dozing off. It was only after their discussion that Histoire noticed this, and her wrath was upon the irresponsible goddess.

"Your sister and I were discussing matters of legal importance, and you decided to take a nap?!"

Neptune yawned and adjusted herself on her seat. "But we just got back from a little walkabout and I'm sleepy…" She yawned again and smacked her lips twice, signifying her lassitude.

"I will not accept that! Wake up immediately!" Histoire floated next to Neptune's ear and began to shout.

"D-did I come at a bad time?" ASJ stood in the doorway, ready to leave at a moment's notice.

"My apologies, ASJ. I was simply lecturing Neptune for napping while Nepgear and I discussed matters of potential importance. If you wish to continue work with Nepgear, go ahe—"

ASJ scratched his head. "No, it's not that. I just heard that you were having some difficulty with…Obelisks? I think I know some things that may prove helpful to you."

Histoire regained her normal altitude. "Is that so? Well, Nepgear and I have coordinated tomorrow to be a meeting between the CPUs. If you come here in the morning, you can come with us and share what you know."

ASJ nodded. "Right. Also…I wouldn't lecture Neptune so much."

Neptune shot up and smiled. "Good to know someone's on my side!"

"But she was napping during an important discussion! That is a failure as a goddess!"

ASJ smiled. "Maybe it would be to Noire. But, the people place their faith in Neptune because of her personality. If she began working as you wish for her to," ASJ shrugged, "she wouldn't be Neptune. Her individuality is more important to the nation than the amount of work she does."

Histoire offered a rebuttal. "I might accept that if our Shares weren't constantly lower than the other three nations. However, the trends show that that simply is not the case!"

"Watch this." ASJ walked over to Neptune and squatted down. "Let's play a game, head to head. You win, I convince Histoire to stop lecturing you. I win, she lectures you full-force. Deal?"

Neptune stood up, full of energy. "You're on!"

The two furiously clicked buttons, and tension filled the room. Every so often, one of them would let out a groan of frustration or a sharp breath in anticipation. After a few moments of tense gameplay, Neptune stood up triumphantly.

"I win!" She spun around in a circle, reveling in her victory. "Now I get to sleep away that boring lecture!" She playfully stuck her tongue out at Histoire.

ASJ walked over to Histoire with his hands in his pockets. "You just have to use different tools. You have so many things at your disposal that it's simply wasteful to try only one approach."

"But that is a game! We simply can't afford to be so lackadaisical about reality!"

He simply smiled and said, "Those Obelisks aren't hurting anyone. The Guild agents are taking care of the monsters. We're in a time of peace and stability." He looked at Neptune and noticed how happy she looked to not be bothered by Histoire's angry tirade. "Why not celebrate that and let Neptune be herself?"

Histoire sighed. "I assent. I will try things your way, if only in an attempt to get Neptune to work."

"That's the spirit. Also, is it quite alright if I stay the night? I, uh…" ASJ looked away sheepishly. "I don't have a home."

"If that is the case, you may use the living room as your temporary space."

"No, no, that simply won't do. I'll stay on the balcony." ASJ walked out.

"Things are about to get interesting," he thought to himself.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Into the Dark

The height and viewing angle from the Planeptune Basilicom balcony was purposefully intended to give a view of a specific section of the nation. Since the Planeptune balcony, unlike the other nations', stretched in a ring around the upper part of the building, it was possible to see the entirety of the nation by walking around. The best view, though, was from the southern half of the ring, where most of the nature parks were congregated, and one could see birds taking flight and, if they were vigilant, they could even see people going on their daily routine.

Today, the CPUs and CPU Candidates were to have a meeting to discuss the strange Obelisks appearing in their nations and the plan of action to deal with them. In addition, ASJ was to appear and share his supposed knowledge with them, although it was still unclear what he knew and how he knew it. Nevertheless, the plan was set, and the meeting was to take place in about two hours. As of now, ASJ was sitting on a bench playing Sudoku, silently thinking to himself.

"I hope they don't ask too many questions…I'm not sure which ones I can and can't answer…" ASJ clicked his pen rapidly in anxiety.

"If only I had some yogurt…that always cools me right down…" ASJ's body was now shaking in anxiety. He entered the Basilicom in search of his favorite snack where he was greeted by silence. It seemed as though the two goddesses were either out doing something or had not woken up yet, so he was free to scrounge.

"Yes! They have it! It may only be one container, but it's here!" ASJ's eyes lit up with excitement as he clasped the cold container of dairy deliciousness. He pulled out a spoon from his pocket and was about to eat when a door opened.

"Azzy? What are you doing?" Neptune rubbed her eyes, still trying to shake off some of her drowsiness.

ASJ froze in place. "I, uh…was hungry, and I figured that this was something relatively cheap, so I just…"

"It's okay. I get up in the middle of the night for snacks all of the time. Don't worry about it." As usual, Neptune wore a mischievous smile.

Upon hearing this, ASJ excitedly opened the lid to the container and readied his spoon. He rapidly shoveled yogurt into his mouth, and he showed no signs of stopping. Even as he was halfway finished with the container, he seemed completely content with finishing the rest of it, and so he did. Neptune was left staring at his impressive eating capabilities as he threw out the empty container.

"You, uh…sure love yogurt, don't you?"

"Absolutely! Sometimes, I end up accidentally spending close to hundreds of dollars just buying yogurt…" He looked away in embarrassment.

Histoire floated over to contribute. "Don't worry. Neptune is just as bad with pudding. We sometimes have to physically force her to stop eating."

ASJ chuckled. "Really? Well, I suppose I can't judge. Anyways, we start in two hours, right? I'd best get ready soon."

Hearing this, Nepgear entered. "Well, we never actually declared the meeting officially, so we can change the time. Since we're all up, I thought we could start it now."

"Alright then. Let's begin." ASJ left to wash his spoon. At the same time, Histoire sent a message to the other CPUs, alerting them to the meeting taking place now.

Whenever the CPUs congregated in one area, the entire world knew something of significance was happening. Although the Obelisks weren't causing direct harm to anyone or anything, there was high suspicion among both civilians and legal officials that these structures could potentially become problematic. It was therefore decided that something should be done about it, which leads the nation's leaders to Planeptune to hold their meeting.

Noire was the first to appear along with Uni, characteristic of their hard-working nature and desire to be first in everything they did. Blanc, Rom and Ram appeared next, and lastly, Vert made her entrance. ASJ eyed them all slowly, especially Vert. Since he had not seen her until now, he had to both get and give a first impression, and he was completely unaware of what to expect and how to act.

"If everyone is ready, let us begin the meeting." Since she was the one who summoned everyone to the hall, Histoire was the first to speak.

Everyone spoke in unison, "Right."

ASJ sighed and began, "I'll preface this by saying the standard introduction. It's an honor to be called before all eight of you, and I hope that my knowledge proves useful to you. With the boring stuff out of the way, let's proceed. First, I'd like to hear what you all learned."

Neptune spoke first, laying back in her chair and leaning it on its two back legs. "There was this weird stone Obelisk thingy in the middle of an old building. People were working on it, and we couldn't get their attention no matter how loud we yelled."

Nepgear followed up, "There was a ring of books at the base. We tried to read one, but everyone sprung up and said 'You will not be allowed to corrupt the documents'. Their eyes looked…dead."

Noire set down a cup of tea and began to speak. "That's right. They were chanting to themselves too, but it was more like muttering. All I heard was 'we praise the lord, for He will turn Hell into Heaven'."

ASJ scribbled some things onto a notepad and set his pen down. "I think I may have an idea as to what this is. It's going to sound ridiculous, so I need you to bear with me."

Histoire spoke, "Something is better than nothing. What do you know?"

ASJ sighed and began to recount, "Have you ever heard the myth of the Deity of Knowledge?" Everyone at the table either shook their head or raised an eyebrow in confusion. "According to legend, the Deity of Knowledge was a legendary figure, significantly more powerful than the Deity of Sin you fought a while ago. Her existence coincided with the birth of the universe itself."

Neptune interjected. "Hold on, isn't that like a 'chicken or the egg' question? How could someone exist at the birth of the universe?"

ASJ continued, "Like I said, it's a legend. Anyway, the Deity of Knowledge wished to share her knowings, so she created the Hyper Dimension and all things within it. However, this drained much of her power, so she had to retreat to her personal dimension of Biblio to regain it."

Blanc chimed in. "I think I've heard of this before. Biblio is the 'library of all knowledge', isn't it?"

ASJ was impressed by Blanc's knowledge. "Correct. Biblio is an infinite dimension that belongs to the Deity of Knowledge. It knows everything that the Deity does."

Vert seemed confused. "How does this connect to the Obelisks appearing in our nations?"

There was silence for a moment before ASJ continued, "The last Deity was a deranged psychopath who wished only to destroy the Hyper Dimension. Normally, the Deity is bound to Biblio, but they channeled their power into the Obelisks to gain the ability to enter the Hyper Dimension and attempt to destroy it. If the legend is to believed, it took the combined power of all mortals as well as all of the goddesses to defeat them. That was thousands of years ago, and ever since there hasn't been another Deity and their legacy was forgotten."

Noire scoffed. "How are we supposed to believe any of this?"

ASJ stood. "Would you like to see for yourself?" He clapped his hands together. "Mortals devised a spell to allow themselves to enter Biblio if they ever needed to stop another Deity. I can use it to take you to Biblio."

Everyone was shocked. "What."

ASJ chuckled. "It's true. Are you not convinced?" Between his clapped hands, green lighting began to crackle and a black sphere was beginning to form.

Neptune grew even more confused. "Wait, hold on. This place actually exists? And we're actually going to go there?"

ASJ wrinkled his brow in concentration. "Yes, it does exist, and yes, you're going to go there. Unless you're saying you don't want to go?"

Neptune shook her hands in refusal. "No, no, I'm going. It's just that this is a little much to take in all at once."

ASJ pulled his hands apart farther and the sphere grew larger. "Yes, I understand. That's how I first felt when I learned Biblio actually existed. I've taken myself there before, but I had to leave shortly afterward because I was too exhausted." Even now, sweat was pouring down his forehead and it looked as if he might pass out at any moment. "I hope you can find what you're looking for."

Vert chuckled. "I assure you, we won't disappoint."

Neptune clenched her fists in determination. "Yeah, I've gone to different dimensions before! This is no problem for me!"

Nepgear smiles brightly. "As long as I'm with Neptune, I'll be fine!"

Noire chuckled cockily. "I won't be outdone by someone with less Shares than me. I'll get back alive, no problem whatsoever!"

Uni copied her sister's facial expression exactly. "Right! I won't lose!"

ASJ pulled his hands even further apart. By now, the sphere was about a meter in diameter. "Are you sure you're ready? It'll be a while before I can pull you out of there."

Blanc seemed a tad irritated. "We've been saying that we'll be fine. Do you not believe us?"

Ram happily added, "Yeah! If Blanc and Rom are with me, there's no way I'll lose!"

Rather shyly, Rom also spoke, "Yeah, we'll win!"

ASJ chuckled and expanded the orb so it filled the area between his fully outstretched arms. "Just wanted to make sure. Get ready." The orb collapsed upon itself and for a moment, there was nothing. After about three seconds of silence, though, a black portal appeared where the orb once was. Spirals of energy flowed in the space of the portal, and the same green lightning that emanated from the sphere was coming off of the portal.

"Alright. Whenever you're ready."

Everyone spoke in unison. "Right!"

The CPUs and CPU Candidates approached the portal, and as they were pulled in, they took a step into the dark.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Library of All Knowledge

I feel as though it's worth mentioning that I'm solo on this project. As in, no outside help. So, add up the fact that this is my first project and I have no help and this story is destined for disaster. Welp, let's see how things go.

The goddesses emerged from the portal and it was certain that they were in Biblio. All around, as far as the eye could see, bookshelves lined the walls and filled the room, and the height of these bookshelves was incomprehensible. They stretched beyond vision, and as Neptune found, flying upward did not change this. The room they appeared in was barely lit, but the spherical room was designed marvelously so that this light was sufficient to allow one to read.

Neptune was shocked. "Woah…what is this place? There's just books everywhere."

Blanc walked over to one of the shelves. "I remember hearing that this place was the library of all knowledge, but I didn't expect it to be this massive. Rom, Ram, stay close. It'll be easy to get lost here."

The goddesses began to explore, and it seemed as though the dimension expanded and contracted as they moved. When they walked for only a few seconds, they found that they had moved a great distance, and walking for many minutes yielded only a few feet of travel. No matter how far or long they walked, though, they were always surrounded by bookshelves, and the only sound they heard was their own footsteps.

The floor beneath was solid, but when looked at, it appeared as though one were walking on the night sky itself. The stars glittered with the same radiance they would hold if they were viewed from any other dimension, and the blackness of the night sky was still as punctual as normal.

Ram walked over to a bookshelf and laid eyes on a book. "Hey Rom, check this out. Do you know what 'Innovations and Applications of Modern Medicine' is?"

Rom walked over and saw the book, but looked confused. "I guess it sounds helpful. Do you wanna try and read it?"

Blanc stood next to the twins. "Be careful, you two. I know it's just a book, but who knows what could happen." She grabbed a book from one of the higher shelves, and suddenly, she felt strange.

When she held the book in her hand, she almost felt as if her body was moving to open it on its own. While this was happening, it was as if she were hearing voices in her head, but these voices were quiet and incoherent. Despite this, it strangely felt as if opening the book and reading its contents would make everything clearer. Subconsciously, she began to turn the pages and read until the worried voices of her sisters shook her awake.

"Blanc, what's wrong? You don't look good."

"Yeah, you look…sick."

Blanc shook her head to shake off the book's influence and forcefully put it back on the shelf. "I'm alright. You two, don't read any of these books."

Neptune ran over. "Why? Aren't they just…books?"

Blanc shook her head. "When I grabbed it, I felt strange. It was as if I were being compelled to read, and I don't think I would have been able to stop if I started. Who knows what would've happened then."

Neptune's eyes widened with shock. "Wha…? I don't believe you!" She grabbed a different book.

The book Neptune laid her hands on was distinctly different from the one Blanc grabbed. It had no title; rather, the entire book was simply covered in a black substance that felt oddly comfortable to the touch. While she held it, she heard voices similarly to Blanc and was compelled in the same way she was, but she could almost understand them. It felt as if reading the book would tell her everything she wanted to know, and give her everything she wanted. Her eyes changed from the normal purple to the same shade of black as the book, and it was then that Blanc, Rom, and Ram attempted to shock her awake.

"Damn it Neptune, I told you not to read that!" Blanc took the aggressive route, furiously shaking Neptune, but to no avail. She was still completely engrossed.

"Neptune! Don't make me hit you on the head! I'll jump up if I have to!"

"Miss Neptune…are you okay?"

Nothing worked. Neptune's jaw dropped open the same way an engrossed student's would, and as she opened the front cover, light poured out of the pages. The voices were becoming clearer and clearer to her. She only needed to read the next page, and she would understand. As if the book could hear her thoughts, the pages turned on their own, allowing her to read more and more. As she read, she became blind to the world around her, and the only thing she could see was the book. This did not bother her, as the only thing she currently wanted was to learn, and this book was the pathway to knowledge.

Blanc turned to Rom and Ram, urgency in her voice. "Stay here. I'm going to go get Nepgear and see if she can do anything."

The twins responded in unison. "Got it!"

Blanc ran through the twisting hallways, making random turns in an effort to try and save Neptune. While she did this, Rom and Ram attempted to 'wake up' Neptune, but nothing they did seemed to have any effect whatsoever, and she continued to read. It appeared as though she was getting more and more engrossed with each page, and her jaw was now completely agape. By now, the entire group had been completely separated, but Blanc managed to find Nepgear, who was shouting out for her sister.

"There you are! Hurry, come with me!"

Nepgear began to follow Blanc, but she was confused. "What's the matter?"

"There's no time. You'll see when we get there."

Nepgear followed Blanc all the way to where Neptune stood. By now, she was halfway done with reading the book, but to an outsider, the book contained nothing. The light being emitted from the pages blocked anyone else from seeing anything but blank pages.

"Neptune! Are you alright?" Nepgear frantically shook her sister in an attempt to stir her, but just as before, nothing came of this action. Neptune simply stood rooted in place, her once-purple eyes blackened and quickly scanning the pages.

It had been fifteen minutes since Noire had last seen her sister. In that time, she had seen and heard nothing from anyone apart from her worried calls for Uni. She began to grow worried that something dreadful had happened to her, and began to quicken her pace.

"What am I thinking? Uni can handle herself. I taught her, after all." Noire tried to convince herself of this, but the dimension had her on edge. This unfamiliar place could hold anything, and she wasn't sure how to handle it.

Noire began to run through the halls of the infinite library, all the while calling out for Uni in a desperate attempt to find her. She made random turns and often times went back the way she had already come, but no matter what, she got no closer to her sister. In truth, she had probably just made more distance than previously existed.

"Your sister is here…she's safe…I can show you the way…" A mysterious, eerie voice resounded in Noire's head and on the ground in front of her was a trail of pages.

"Who are you? Show yourself!"

"I'm right here…in front, all around…I've been here…" The voice seemed as if it was growing distant. As Noire followed the trail, it picked up in volume and became clearer.

Noire suddenly stopped. "How do I know I can trust you?"

"You can't, but…can you trust yourself?"

At this, Noire grew frustrated. She began to angrily run and follow the trail of pages, if only to see whose voice she was hearing. After about a minute of constant running, she began to slow down and grow uncertain.

"Are you actually leading me anywhere? Or are you trying to take me into an ambush spot?"

"I'm giving you what you want…just follow your curiosity…"

Noire continued to follow the trail, but it seemed as though nothing would come of it. She made twists and turns through the maze of bookshelves, and the trail simply seemed to expand as she walked. Just as she began to abandon hope, though, she saw a figure in the distance laying on the ground. As she approached, it became increasingly familiar, and when she was just a few meters out, she could see that it was Uni's dead body.

"Neptune! Neptune!" Nepgear's words fell on deaf ears.

"Rrrrrgh! We're calling so damn loud, Neptune! How can you not hear us?!"

Neptune read the last page, and what happened next was strange. The book floated about an inch above her hand and slammed shut, cutting off the light from within. The tome flew back to the shelf where Neptune grabbed it from and placed itself into the empty slot, leaving Neptune standing where she was. For about thirty seconds, nothing happened and there was only silence. After that moment of tense silence, Neptune's pitch black eyes shut and she fell backward with a sigh.

"Neptune!" Nepgear dashed out and barely managed to catch her. She set her sister down and began to shake her furiously. "Neptune, please, wake up!"

Neptune lay motionless, the only sign of life being the slow rising and falling of her chest with each breath. Even this motion was shallow, though, and Nepgear had to place her head close to hear her respiration and even closer to hear her heartbeat. In this deathlike stupor, Neptune's usual smile was erased, having been replaced with a grim frown.

Vert had long been separated from the rest of the group. For about thirty minutes, she hadn't even heard anyone else's footsteps, let alone their voices. For some reason, she was somewhat curious as to the contents of the books linings the shelves around her, but she knew better than to read them. It was probable that they were cursed in some way, so it was best to completely avoid them. Even as she strengthened her will against investigating them, though, a faint curiosity persisted in her mind, tempting her ever so slightly to grab a book and begin reading.

As she continued walking, she became increasingly anxious as to the whereabouts of the group. It deeply worried her that she had hear nothing of them, and the layout of the dimension made things no better. The surrounding bookshelves made a maze that was nearly impossible to navigate. What was even more worrisome was her Shares—for some reason, she could only feel an infinitesimal portion of her Shares. It remained a possibility that there weren't even enough Shares to transform, but that remained to be seen.

After almost an hour of seeing nobody, she finally encountered Nepgear, Neptune, Blanc, Rom, and Ram, although not in the way she had hoped. Neptune was unconscious and barely breathing, and everyone else was doing their damndest to get her up. Despite the fact that none of their actions had any effect whatsoever, they kept persisting, and their desperate cries echoed off of the endless bookshelves.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: The Deity of Knowledge

Noire frantically tried to shake Uni awake, determined that she was not dead. She shouted her name and even slapped her on the face, all in effort to stir her.

"It's…all your….fault…" The voice that Noire had heard earlier persisted, and it was louder than before now.

"Please, wake up Uni! You can't die here!" Tears were beginning to well in Noire's eyes as she continued to no avail. Her sister had died, and she was not there to help her.

"That's right…you failed…you weren't there…"

Noire wiped away her tears and yelled out in anger. "Who are you?! Why are you doing this?!"

Suddenly, Uni burst into a messy pile of pages which began to circle around the room, as if they were being carried by wind. The voice that Noire had heard now surrounded her, as if the pages themselves were speaking.

"I am the Deity of Knowledge. I rule this dimension and know everything within it. You are just another piece towards my goal."

Noire was stunned. "So…Uni's not dead? Or…what did you do?!"

The voice chuckled. "Your sister is alive. She is perfectly safe, although she finds herself lost in all of the books here."

Noire let out a sigh of relief. "Why would you play that kind of trick?"

"It was a…test, of sorts. I wanted to see how you would react."

Noire clenched her fists in anger. "And so you 'killed' my sister?! Damnit, stop circling! Just stay still!"

Again, the voice chuckled. "Your life has been little more than a series of failures, destroying and rebuilding your relationship with you sister." The pages' flight slew down and they began to all move towards the opposite end of the room from Noire. "Every time you take a step forward, it's always two steps backward. How could someone like me not be intrigued by that?"

Noire was yelling with all of her anger now. "You're just a legend! You have no right to talk about me and my sister like that!"

The pages began to coagulate into a cloud. "Even today, people live their lives on legends made by people of old. Religion, culture, all of those things have their roots in legend." The pages began to lose their paper borders and 'melt' into flesh. "Perhaps this legend holds more truth than you think." Now, a person stood where the pages once were. They wore black robes with the same details on them that were on the Obelisks, with a few extra golden pieces at the joints and waist. Their face was covered by a golden mask that carried the same details, but it also had tentacle-like structures jutting out from the sides and back.

Noire took a step forward. "Let's assume you are the Deity. Why are you so interested in my relationship with my sister?"

"All in due time. First, grab a book from these shelves. Any book."

Noire was hesitant. "How can I trust you? How do I know this isn't a trap?"

The Deity chuckled. "Good eyes. Normally, these books lure you into reading them and never let you put them down once you begin reading. However," the Deity raised his hand and a light came from it, "I have altered the books in this area so that they will be safe for your reading."

Noire was still untrusting of them. "How can I be sure? For all I know, you just cast a light spell!"

"Hmm…it appears you will need more than that to convince you. Fine, I shall oblige." The Deity began pacing around the room. "It is no mistake that this dimension is called the Library of All Knowledge. From the central study, it expands outwards infinitely and gives vision to all dimensions. That is how I know of you and your sister, for example."

"What are you trying to say? You're not making sense."

"I'm saying that I can give you what you want."

Noire was shocked. "What? How do you even know what I want?!"

The Deity chuckled again. "Haven't you been listening? I know everything about everyone and everywhere. I can give you that perfect future you dream of."

"But if I'm not the one to create it, it's meaningless! If I'm not the one who apologizes and makes up for my mistakes, then it may as well have never happened!"

The Deity waggled his finger. "I think we both know how that would turn out. Time and time again, you've told yourself that and steeled your will, only to fail again and lose all progress." They opened their arms, as if hugging someone. "I can give you everything you want. You and your sister don't have to fight anymore. There don't have to be any more tears."

While tempted, Noire shook her head in refusal. "It has to be me who makes up for my mistakes. I can't have some 'Deity' that I don't even know doing the work for me."

"Then…you are not useful to me." The Deity began to walk towards Noire, and although they were walking relatively slowly, the dimension bent so that they were immediately adjacent to Noire. "Die." He reached his hand out for Noire's neck, and the dimension bent once more so that she was against a wall with nowhere to run.

It was then that a bullet flew for them, and the Deity burst into pages. They clung to the walls and glided out of the room, leaving Uni and Noire alone in the room.

"Noire! Are you alright?"

Noire's shock stopped her momentarily from speaking. "Uni…you're here."

"Well of course! I couldn't let my sister get hurt like that!"

Noire smiled proudly. "Right. Good timing, too." She beckoned for her to follow. "Come on, let's go find the others. Neptune's probably got herself into trouble already."

Uni hastily followed. "Right!"

Despite all of their efforts, Neptune remained motionless. The effects of the book had a strong hold on her, but the effect was only visible to Neptune. In her conscious, she was in a dark room with nothing but the same book she previously read. When she attempted to read it, there was nothing in it, and it immediately slammed shut when her hands weren't forcing it open. After about ten minutes of nothingness, though, pages flew out of the book and coagulated into the Deity about ten inches from Neptune.

"My apologies. I had some other things to attend to."

Neptune was still tired from the effects of the book. "Who…are you?"

"I am the Deity of Knowledge. The dimension of Biblio bends to my will, and I know everything it knows. You read one of the Conduits, or the gateways from a Root Dimension to Biblio."

Neptune was very confused. "Root Dimension? Conduit? And…aren't you supposed to be a legend?"

"I understand your confusion. Before I explain, though, I shall remove the Conduit's effects." The Deity raised his hand and a stream of green energy flew from Neptune's head into his open palm. "Now, how are you feeling?"

Neptune clutched her head for a few moments before recovering. "Like I woke up after a long night's sleep."

The Deity chuckled. "Good. I wouldn't want your sister to worry about you."

Neptune worriedly looked around the room. "Where are we, anyways? I kinda recall hearing Nepgear's voice before I clocked out."

"We are in your conscious. I am only here because of the effects of the Conduit."

Neptune pointed at them. "You never really explained that, anyways! What even are these Conduits?"

"I plan to tell everyone at once, so I don't have to repeat myself." The Deity began pacing around. "Your sister…she loves you a lot, you know?"

"Yeah, she sometimes gets kind of clingy. But it's alright, I love her too."

Although his face was concealed, one could assume that the Deity was smiling underneath. "That's good, but…you've kind of failed as a sister, haven't you?"

Neptune was indignant. "No way! I'm great at sisterhood, at least better than Noire!"

"Open the book."

Neptune hesitantly complied, pulling open the book's rather heavy cover. The pages automatically turned themselves, but their contents were strange. Rather than text, it was as if the pages had recorded the past and were playing the video back. Neptune saw herself and Nepgear, but the pages showed her putting off work to Nepgear and being lazy in general.

The Deity took a step closer to Neptune. "You constantly make your sister do everything for you, reveling in the ephemeral happiness that laziness gives you. No matter how much Histoire yells at you or Nepgear chastises you, the pattern continues."

Neptune shook her head. "Nepgear's always been fine with that! Sure, she scolds me for it, but that's when I start doing the work, anyways!"

"I'm sure you've heard of white lies before." The Deity took another step, and by now, they were only a few inches apart from Neptune. "She just doesn't want her dearest Neptune to hate herself."

Neptune was unsure of what to think. "Well, even then, this seems kind of minor, doesn't it? I mean, I could just start working and things would get better, right?"

The Deity chuckled. "How many times have you made that promise to yourself, only to go back on it later?" The pages of the book rapidly shuffled and began replaying instances of Neptune saying she would work hard or stop being lazy.

Neptune seemed defeated. "No, no, no…I knew I could have done better, but…"

The Deity once again opened his arms. "I can give you that future. I can give you the work ethic you seek to make your love true, and not a white lie. I can give you everything you want."

Neptune began to reach her hand out to accept, but became hesitant. "But…if Nepgear found out, what would she think of this? She'd think I was a failure who had to accept some offer from a suspicious Deity."

"So…do you refuse? Do you accept? Or, do you need time to think?"

Neptune sighed. "Just give me some time. I'll figure everything out."

The Deity nodded in agreement. He extended his arm, and the pages of the book that recounted history now flew into his hand where he created a binding, making a new book. "Take this. When you read it, you will be taken here again and you can tell me your decision."

Neptune grabbed the newly-made book. "Got it."

At this, Neptune was taken out of the mysterious space she was just in, and felt herself lying on her back on the cold ground of Biblio. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Nepgear, Blanc, Rom and Ram crowding around her.

Nepgear was, of course, the first to speak. "Neptune! I'm so glad you're safe!"

Neptune could not hide her dejection at all. "Yeah…good to see you too."

Blanc interrupted the sisterly bonding moment with words of urgency. "While you were out, we heard Noire and Uni calling out for us. If we're fast, we can catch them again."

Neptune slowly stood up. "Right. Let's go."

On the journey, Neptune was unusually quiet, and even more strangely, she was staring at her feet the entire way. She was still thinking about what the Deity had said, and how she had failed Nepgear.

Finally, she had had enough of thinking and decided to vocalize her worries. "Nep Jr?"

Nepgear turned around, worry in her eyes. "What's wrong? You've been oddly quiet and not yourself."

Neptune sighed and began to recount, "After I read that book, I was taken somewhere and talked to someone who called himself the Deity of Knowledge." She put a hand to her head. "He said…that I had failed you as a sister."

Nepgear was shocked. "What? That's not true at all! You're the best sister I could've had!"

"I told him that. He just said it was a white lie, all so I wouldn't hate myself." She pulled out the book that the Deity had given her. On the front cover was simply an old picture of Neptune and Nepgear. "He gave me this and told me to read it if I wanted to make things right."

Nepgear threw the book to the ground and hugged Neptune tightly. "Don't say things like that! I couldn't hate you, no matter how much work you give me!" She squeezed tighter. "All I want is for you to be yourself, Neptune."

Neptune reciprocated Nepgear's affectionate hug. "I'm sorry for making you worry, Nep Jr. It won't happen again, promise."

From a distance, pages coagulated to form the Deity once more. He watched the two sisters hug, and couldn't help but smile.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Odium et Dolorum

About an hour ago, the eight goddesses had been warped to the dimension of Biblio by their friend ASJ. Now, they were all suffering the consequences, as the group was separated and Neptune and Noire had been personally affected by the mysterious Deity of Knowledge.

Luckily, though, the group was beginning to reform as Noire and Uni found Neptune. "There you are! We've been searching for ages now!"

Nepgear broke her hug with Neptune. "Good to see you're alright. Is everyone here?"

Uni nodded. "Yep. We're all accounted for."

Pages began to fly around the room about a meter and a half away from the group, and the Deity of Knowledge formed from the pages. He extended his arm and the dimension warped around them, bending and twisting and almost throwing the goddess off of their feet.

"Now that everyone is here, we may begin. Do any of you have questions for me?"

Noire took a step forward. "Who exactly are you?"

"I suppose you're asking for a name, then. Very well; you may call me Magist. I am the Deity of Knowledge, and as you've seen, this dimension bends to my will."

Blanc spoke angrily, "Are you the one who put Neptune into that trance? What the hell do you want from us?"

"I wish to make you an offer, but first I'll have to give some backstory. Do you mind if I take over for a while?"

Uni glared. "As long as you tell us what you're planning."

"Fair enough." Magist began pacing around the room. "As the rulers of Gamindustri's four nations, surely you know something of the suffering your people face."

Neptune frowned. "They seem just fine to me. I go to the park every day and they seem happy."

"You could never see the forest from the trees. I'm referring to mortals as a whole, both the sadness they face and the hatred they perpetuate."

Blanc snapped. "Get on with it already!"

Magist chuckled. "Have you heard of the Rainbow War?"

Everyone replied in unison, "No."

Magist sighed in disappointment. "The Rainbow War was a stain on mortal history. It was a time when the people of Gamindustri killed each other on no better basis than the goddess they allied themselves with or the nation they bought resources from." Magist lifted up his mask just a little bit to spit on the ground before putting it back into place. "That is just one example of humanity's failure."

Nepgear was confused. "What are you trying to say?"

Magist opened his arms again. "I'm saying that we can make utopia. Humans are a shame on my lineage and a pox upon the natural world. Without mortals, there is no war. Without mortals, there is purity."

Vert was taken aback. "Are you suggesting we kill everyone? That is preposterous."

Magist's mask bent and twisted, showing a smile. "Is it? You share no bond with mortals. It is impossible for a goddess to do so; that is the curse that the first Deity unknowingly placed upon all of you. Why do you wish to spare them?"

Neptune was stunned at Magist's apparent stupidity. "Well, killing people is wrong! It doesn't matter how bad they are, killing them isn't the answer!"

"And what do you suggest? Humanity has repeated their cycle of war and peace for as long as they've existed. Ever since the first Deity placed humans upon this dimension, nothing but war and hatred has followed."

Uni angrily replied, "But we're in a time of peace now! Are you seriously going to kill everyone for crimes of the past?!"

Magist angrily clenched his fist. "Time does not annul or absolve humanity's crimes. Injustice is injustice, no matter how much time passes afterward. As the one who carries the power to create humanity, I can also destroy it and remove their cruelty from the pure Hyper Dimension."

Neptune spoke for everyone, "Well, too bad! If you want to kill everyone, you're gonna have to get through us!"

Magist chuckled. "Very well then. I cast you out of this dimension. The next time we meet, it will be in battle."

He opened his hand and the same black sphere that ASJ used appeared, although it took Magist substantially less effort than him. He effortlessly expanded it to a meter and a half in diameter, and then threw it, setting it into place in front of the CPUs. He gestured for them to leave, and when they did, he forcefully slammed the portal shut.

The CPUs crashed onto the Planeptune Basilicom balcony, still shaken from their time in Biblio.

"Nepsy! Everyone! Are you okay?" Uzume had run out to see them along with her friend Neptune. While they shared the same name, this Neptune was taller, had longer hair, sported a black jacket instead of white, and hailed from the Ultra Dimension. The group also liked to joke about how the 'adult' Neptune was more developed in terms of chest size, but this situation demanded a little more urgency.

Neptune rubbed the back of her head. "Uzume! When did you get here?"

"Big Nepsy kept saying something about her 'Nep sense'. Eventually, I agreed to warp here, and sure enough, you guys were gone."

"We were so worried! Leave a note the next time you decide to go dimension hopping without us!"

Everyone stood up, some with assistance from Uzume or Neptune. Nepgear remembered, "Oh! Uzume, have you met ASJ yet?"

Uzume scratched her head. "Who? I don't think I have."

Hearing the commotion, ASJ walked out onto the balcony with everyone. "Good to see you're all okay. What did you see? Did you get what you wanted with the Obelisks?"

Noire shook her head. "No, but we did encounter the Deity of Knowledge you spoke of."

A muffled voice emerged from the taller Neptune's book. "Holy shit, that guy actually exists? Here I thought he was just a myth."

Neptune put a hand on her book. "Well, you mentioned something about the portal, right?"

"Yeah, pitch black. Totally different than the ones I use. I didn't even think the thing was a portal at first."

Histoire floated through the door that ASJ left open, urgency in her voice, "Everyone! I know you just got back, but we have a situation in Lastation!"

Noire, shocked, replied, "What's going on? When was the report filed?"

Histoire's eyes turned blue, as if she was accessing data from an internal computer. "About a minute ago, we got reports of recent mass criminal Odium attacking the streets of the city, damaging buildings and hurting or killing civilians."

ASJ clenched his fists with unprecedented rage. "What district?"

Histoire quickly replied, "The Kuro district, just 0.75 meters south of the Basilicom."

Neptune took a step towards ASJ. "Are you alright, Azzy? You look a little…angry."

Noticing Neptune's worry, ASJ tempered his rage by a small degree. "I'm fine, but I'll be even better once Odium's dead."

With that, he ran down and out of the Basilicom and towards the nation of Lastation. While the reason for his lividity was unknown to the CPUs, it was clear that ASJ had some kind of past with Odium, and wanted them dead. Transformed, the goddesses took flight towards Lastation, determined to see why ASJ was so unusually angry as well as to end Odium's rampage.

Odium was a criminal convicted of grand theft, murder, and kidnapping. She mostly worked out of Lastation, but her crime network also had some dealings in Planeptune and Lowee. Sending agents to Leanbox would be too expensive and impractical, but that didn't stop her from trying several times. This almost got her activities detected by the police multiple times, but to her it was worth it if there was some kind of potential gain. In this way, she was very materialistic, willing to sacrifice her subordinates if it meant gaining money or resources.

The police of all three affected nations had been tracking Odium down for a very long time, but to no avail; whenever they tracked her to her headquarters, she either overpowered the officers or had left prior to their arrival. Many people, including ASJ until now, simply accepted her activity, believing that there was nothing they could do to influence the turnout of events. While they would cooperate with the police if they believed that it would get them closer to doing her in, they did not go out of their way to pursue evidence in the case and, for a long time, the case was considered closed.

Running to Lastation from Planeptune is a laborious affair, taking at least a week for the average traveler. However, ASJ's way-finding experience gave him knowledge of several shortcuts and so within just a few hours, he was already halfway there. He held an impressive amount of stamina, also, being able to run almost continuously for several minutes at a time, and never walking at his usual slow pace. After about nine hours, he arrived in Lastation and began to make his way to the Kuro district.

ASJ began running faster than ever, searching every alley and every street for even the smallest hint of Odium's presence. Eventually, he made his way to the scene of her attack, and he stopped.

"Hmm…another 'hero' come to end my wicked dealings? What makes you think you'll turn out any different from the last ones?"

Through all his rage, ASJ was unable to respond. He simply let out a growl of anger, clenching his fists together. Behind him, the goddesses touched down and attempted to stop him from recklessly engaging the threat in front of him.

"Azzy, wait! She was capable of—" Despite Purple Heart's attempts to get ASJ to listen to reason, he took a step forward, determined to do battle.

Odium licked her lips in anticipation. "Oh, this will be interesting. Why don't we fight one-on-one, 'Azzy'? We'll see if you do better than he did."

At this, ASJ lost all coordination. He wildly ran towards Odium, swinging punches with all his might that she effortlessly dodged. After about ten seconds of her simply dodging his attacks, Odium brandished a dagger and attempted to stab for ASJ's stomach, but to her surprise, the blade phased through his body, doing no damage whatsoever. He grabbed the handle and attempted to wrestle the blade from her hand, and this caused Odium to swing a punch for ASJ's neck. As the previous attack did, however, this blow simply phased through, and it was then that the battle ended.

ASJ took the blade from Odium's hand and stabbed her in the upper arm, eliciting a scream of pain. He removed the blade and began to stab her entire body, from forearm to hand to thigh to calf, taking special care to avoid vital areas that would end the pain too quickly. After about fifteen seconds of stabbing, ASJ wiped one of Odium's wounds to apply her blood to his hand. He then grabbed the blade and slit her throat open with it, spraying blood onto the buildings on the side of the road.

After doing all of this, ASJ fell to the ground, laying on his back with his eyes wavering shut. Neptune and the others ran over to him, and it was then that it began to rain. The rain poured onto ASJ's entire body, soaking his shirt and jacket, washing the blood from his face and Odium's body.

Neptune could barely speak. "Azzy…what…?"

ASJ chuckled. "I owe you answers, don't I? I will settle your curiosities, but…I need a moment…" He shut his eyes, and it was unclear if rain had fallen under his eyes or if he was crying.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Broken Bonds

The rain fell on ASJ and the eight goddesses, coating the scene of a bloody slaughter with pure water. It seemed cliché for it to rain now, but the effect was still present—it was as if God was crying.

ASJ broke the silence. "I…think I'm ready now. Ask me anything, and I will answer it to the best of my ability."

Noire asked her question first, "What was your relationship with Odium? How did you know her?"

ASJ sighed. "You had to ask the hardest question first, huh?" He gave a dry, emotionless chuckle. "Odium was the one who killed my brother."

Uni, who was still eyeing Odium's corpse, grew shocked. "So he really did die…I had no idea."

ASJ said nothing, but the pain in his eyes spoke for him. His eyes slowly drifted shut, and he had to consciously force himself to remain awake.

"Uni, please…tell them. I think…I'm going to sleep now…" ASJ let his eyes shut, and he was almost motionless.

The eight stood in silence for a moment, thinking about what they had seen and what ASJ had told them. A portal opened behind them, and Uzume and Neptune appeared from it. They immediately sensed the mood and walked over to investigate, and noticed the grief written on everyone's faces. For a moment, they all lowered their heads in sorrow.

Wishing to get out of the rain, Neptune and Nepgear flew back to the Planeptune Basilicom and deposited ASJ on a non-carpeted area for him to rest. Shortly after, Nepgear received an invitation to a group video call with Uni and everyone else, which she quickly accepted.

"Hey, Nepgear. Is ASJ still sleeping?"

Nepgear nodded. "Yes."

"Good. Something tells me he didn't want to hear what I'm about to tell you."

Blanc's visage occupied the upper left hand corner of the screen. "About his brother, right?"

Uni gravely nodded, indicating the mood for the conversation. "Yes. He only told me parts of the story, but what I know is enough to paint a solid picture."

Neptune was unusually somber, but she was definitely more upbeat than everyone else. "Anything is better than nothing. Tell us what you've got."

Uni let out a sigh. "When they were young, ASJ and his brother Cri would sneak up to the Lastation Basilicom balcony at night, and sometimes during the day as well. They didn't have a home, and even though it was illegal, that was the closest thing they had." There was a moment of silence before she continued, "Eventually, of course, Noire and I found them. We were tempted to throw them out, but Cri told us their circumstances. That's where the story really begins."

Vert tipped her head slightly downward. "To be homeless from a young age…where were their parents?"

Uni sighed once more. "Dead. Their mother died giving birth to ASJ, and their father died a year afterward of sickness."

Rom was about to cry. "All that time without parents? How did they buy everything?"

"They didn't, really. They had to beg and steal to survive. Once they were old enough, they enrolled in the Guild, but by then, the damage had already been done."

ASJ stirred in his sleep as if he had heard the conversation until now. He rolled over to face the outside world, his reflection visible in the windows.

Ram added, the usual exuberance gone from her voice, "And then Cri got killed by Odium, right?" She struggled on the word 'killed', as if the letters constituting the word were as foreign as the concept of its meaning.

"That goes with what he told us, and his reaction to Odium."

Nepgear looked over to see ASJ, and he was no longer asleep. He was now sitting in a chair, staring at the pouring rain outside. His reflection stared back at him, and his eyes were empty.

Neptune whispered into the call, "I think we should end it here. Our man just woke up."

Everyone else shut off their call, leaving Neptune and Nepgear in silence with ASJ. Nobody was quite sure of what to say or do, and for a few minutes there was silence. Eventually, he slowly got up and started making his way downstairs to the Basilicom entrance. A few years back, Neptune had made the strange decision to place a piano in the waiting room, saying that 'it makes it more official', even though no one she knew had the skill to play.

Once ASJ got to the piano, though, the entire Basilicom erupted with sound. He played Pachelbel's Canon in D, but the way he played it was so full of emotion that it was a wonder the instrument didn't break. The music was lethargic enough to convey sorrow, but fast enough to convey happiness. While he played, he betrayed no emotion, allowing his music to speak for him. Unbeknownst to him, Neptune and Nepgear watched from a distance on the staircase, both impressed and shocked by his pianist skills.

The song was about two minutes in full, and when he finished, he stared out once more into the rain. After a few moments of silence, he stood up and walked over to Neptune and Nepgear. He smiled, but it was clear that this smile was not a happy one.

"Don't do what I did. Don't lose each other, 'kay? I think…losing something you love is one of the greatest pains of all."

They both nodded in approval. "We won't."

ASJ chuckled. "Good. Goddesses shouldn't have to worry about loss."

He threw his hood on and walked out into the rain. For a moment, he simply stood and stared into the dark grey clouds, reflecting on a time long past. He began to walk, and once he was out of sight, Neptune and Nepgear saw the clouds part and a rainbow form where the pouring rain once was.

The next day, the goddesses decided that something needed to be done about the Deity of Knowledge, and so they requested ASJ to take them back.

"Alright. Here goes nothing." He made the black orb once again, but this time, he seemed to face substantially less difficulty than the previous instance, expanding it to the proper diameter almost immediately. Before any questions could be raised about his ability, he cast the portal and the CPUs stepped through.

The atmosphere of Biblio was the same as the previous visit; dark, perplexing, and enticing. The books still called out to them, and even though Neptune faced the effects of a Conduit in person, she still felt an urge to read them when she drew near.

Noire took a step in front of everyone else. "Let's stay as a group this time. We don't want the last time to repeat itself."

Everyone agreed, and they were on their way. For a few minutes, there was nothing, and they began to question what Magist was planning. Eventually, Noire looked back, and no one was behind her.

She groaned in frustration. "Damnit, now what…?" She began to retrace her steps, knowing the extremely low probability of encountering someone with this method.

After about five minutes of calling out for Noire or Nepgear, Uni began to walk and try to find them herself. She, of course, found nothing, but nonetheless continued her efforts until she came across a black book, identical to the one Neptune read. Having never seen the effects of this book, she was immediately curious, and as she got closer, she could no longer stop herself. The voices were so close to being understood; she needed only to read and she could get everything she wanted.

Once she read, the same thing that happened to Neptune happened to her. She was immediately lost in the book's contents, her eyes now a pitch black as opposed to the normal ruby red. The pages turned and turned, picking up speed as they did so, and eventually, she had finished reading and she fell backward, the book slamming shut as she fell.

"I see you sought knowledge." Within her conscience, Magist had already formed without delay.

"You're the one who attacked my sister the last time! What are you doing here?"

"I'm merely here to offer you something. But, to do this properly, I'll need some time to explain. Is that alright?"

Uni attempted to rush Magist and get in a blow, but she was stopped when he raised his hand and completely stopped her movements. He set her down and began pacing around the room.

"Your sister….she's a great goddess. She works very hard at her job, and her tenacity is unrivaled. But…there's one area where she fails." He took a step closer to Uni. "As your sister, she's a complete failure."

Uni angrily shook her head. If she could, she would have punched him directly in the face. "You're wrong. She's busy a lot, but the time I get with her is the best in my life."

Magist chuckled at the CPU Candidate's anger. "But why do you have to value that time so highly? Nepgear, Rom, and Ram get all the time with their sisters that they want. You get so little that you have to place an inordinately high value on it."

"Maybe I don't get as much time, but you can't compare my relationship with other peoples'! We're all different, and I'm happy with the way Noire is!"

"Are you?" He shrugged. "I've seen you sit on benches and think how you wish you had more time with her. I've seen you bury your face in your arms and think about what you need to do to impress her." He took another step closer and was now only about an inch away from her. "If she truly was such an amazing sister, she wouldn't do that."

Uni shook her head again. "That's me, though! That has nothing to do with Noire!"

"Look at the book."

Uni complied, and the pages began to turn and replay the past. It recounted times of Noire chastising a Uni for a job poorly done, or for a job done too slowly. It showed Uni questioning herself, or evaluating her performance as a sister. The pages quickly turned, and it showed the debacle in the Lastation Golden Summit where Uni almost lost her life. However, as opposed to showing the entire event, it merely played and replayed the instance where Noire called Uni an 'idiot'.

Magist crossed his arms. "Even as you were about to lose your life, she took the opportunity to insult you. Before that, you had to evaluate yourself as a sister, when, really, that fault is not on you. It's on Noire."

The pages quickly turned, and they now showed Uni helping people, or enjoying her time with her friends. It showed her interacting with her citizens, playing games with Nepgear and the other CPU Candidates, and altogether just being happy.

"You are a great CPU Candidate and an even better sister. These pages tell all; without Noire, you can smile. Isn't that what everyone wants?"

Uni growled in anger. "You're manipulating the truth! In the Golden Summit, Noire was about to cry from how worried she was! I've smiled all the time when Noire's with me!"

Magist's mask warped and bent to show a smile where the mouth was. "You said it yourself. Maybe I am manipulating it, but it's the truth." The pages turned again, and they again showed Noire chastising Uni for all manner of different things.

"The only thing you want is for your sister to look your way, to acknowledge your capability as a CPU Candidate. But, as things are now, that will never happen." Pages from the book flew into his hand, and a new book formed. "I understand if you need time to think about your choice. Take this book, and read it when you are ready."

Uni hesitantly took it. Once her hands were on it, she was taken out of the strange room she was in and warped back to the space in which she first read the Conduit, where Noire was kneeling next to her.

Noire was frustrated, but she pulled Uni into a hug. "You idiot! What were you thinking, reading that book? Who knows what could've happened to you?"

Uni reciprocated. "I'm sorry Noire. It won't happen again."

Noire squeezed just a little bit tighter. "As long as you don't go reading anything else in this dimension. None of the books here are safe."

"Right."

As the two went to search for the others, Uni felt the book grow heavier and heavier until the weight was unbearable.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: A Diversis Semita

The book was now so heavy that Uni was pulled to the ground. She attempted to lift it, but it seemed to grow heavier with each attempt. When she looked up, Noire was no longer in sight, and at this she began to panic, making frantic attempts to lift the book and run. Eventually, the book's cover threw open, and she was enraptured in its contents once again. This time, though, there was no reading process; she was taken immediately to the place in her conscience.

Magist stepped out of the shadows. "You seem to have come early. Did the book call to you as it did to Neptune?"

Uni looked at the book and, strangely, it was light as normal, and she could easily lift it. She looked back up at Magist. "What did you do?"

Magist chuckled. "These books have…strange qualities. Your book grew heavier with your uncertainty."

Uni groaned. "Are you still on about that? I'm telling you, I don't want your help."

The book in front of Uni opened and displayed the scene where she stopped Magist from attacking Noire. Like with the Golden Summit depiction, it replayed the instance where Noire called her an 'idiot'.

"The books don't lie, Uni. You are uncertain of your absolution." He took a step towards her and squatted down so his face was on the same level as hers. "Like I said before, all you want is for Noire to recognize your capability. I can give you that. You don't have to be insulted by the one you care about most."

Uni was more convinced than before, but remained hesitant. "But, even if I accept, Noire will just see me as a failure who couldn't grow strong on my own."

Magist shook his head. "She doesn't have to know about this. As long as you deny it, she has to trust you unless she wants your relationship to worsen."

After a moment of intense thought, Uni finally accepted, "Fine. I accept."

Magist walked so close that there was only one inch of separation between the two. He placed his hand on her forehead, and green energy flowed from his arm into her. Despite the nature of this transaction, Uni felt no pain whatsoever, and in fact, she felt as if she could topple the world. Once he removed his hand, he formed a black orb in his hand and she was cast out of the space in her conscience. When she came to, she was directly behind Noire, and she seemed to have no idea that she was ever gone.

Magist rematerialized about five meters behind the Lastation CPUs. He crossed his arms and watched them continue, proud of his victory over Uni. After a few moments of silence, he remembered something he had wanted to do, and he formed a black sphere in his hand. He cast the portal and reached his arm into it, and when he pulled his hand back out, he had grabbed Uzume and pulled her into Biblio.

Uzume took a step back and readied herself for a fight. "Who the hell are you, and what do you want from me?"

Magist put a hand on his chin, as if he were thinking deeply about something. "You are the person with two consciences inside you. Or, rather, you are the person with your true conscience suppressed."

Uzume glared at him. "What are you even talking about? I'm me, no matter what you say!"

Magist shook his head. "I have no interest in continuing dialogue with a fake persona. I'm more interested in the real you, the one you buried within you."

"I'm trying to tell you, I'm me! I don't give a crap about this 'consciousness buried within me' garbage!"

Magist sighed in disappointment. "Just be a good girl and sit still."

He opened his hand and the dimension bent, although there was no visible effect. Instead, the space around Uzume became incredibly dense, so dense that she could not move a single muscle no matter how hard she tried. Even as Magist closed in and she struggled even harder, nothing happened. When he was an arm's length away, Magist placed his hand on Uzume's forehead, and what happened next was strange and impressive.

Green energy flowed from his arm as with Uni, but in this instance, Uzume was screaming in unfathomable pain. After a few seconds of intense pain, green lines courses over her body and her hands immediately went to her forehead. Her voice began to change and her outfit turned to a black and blue color scheme. Her hair morphed to a deep purple, and the person in front of Magist was no longer the Uzume everyone knew, but instead the enemy they had worked against, the person that Neptune named Kurome Ankokuboshi.

She looked at her hands and back up at Magist. "You…what did you do?" Her voice was quieter and deeper than Uzume's, a change of tone that fit well with her change in personality and appearance.

Magist crossed his arms. "I am the Deity of Knowledge, and everything in this dimension bends to my will. You are no exception."

She seemed unfazed by this statement. "And what do you want with me?"

"You want revenge on the mortals that rejected you, am I correct? Although our motives differ, we want the same end result." Magist clenched his fist. "Join me on my quest to eliminate the scourge of mortals from the Hyper Dimension."

Kurome's eyes flickered orange for a moment, but returned to her usual deep purple. "The destruction of the Hyper Dimension belongs to me and me alone. I won't let some mythological figure take that from me."

Magist chuckled. "Do you recall what happened the last time you fought against the CPUs? I'll remind you that your failure is the reason you are currently in that body and not your own being. As a Deity, I hold more power than you can imagine. I can give you what you want; all you need to do is agree to help me."

"Your offer is tempting, but you and I are different. I walk a different path from you."

Magist scoffed. "Very well then. Begone."

He once again placed his hand on Kurome's forehead, repeating the same process as before. She screamed out in pain and her outfit and voice changed first. A few moments afterward, her hair changed from purple to scarlet, and she was Uzume. Magist raised his hand and the dimension bent, and the next thing she knew, she was next to Neptune and Nepgear.

They both ran over and said the same thing. "Uzume! Are you alright?"

She rubbed her head and stood up. "Yeah, I'm alright. Where even is this place, anyways?"

Nepgear answered, "This dimension is called Biblio, although I'm not sure where it is in relation to Hyper Dimension."

She sat down cross-legged. "And what's up with the Deity of Knowledge?"

Neptune spoke strangely happily, "Yeah, he's a weird one. Did you run into him?"

She nodded. "Yeah. He did something and put my other self in control. He offered to help her destroy the Hyper Dimension."

Neptune rolled her eyes. "So that's his plan, huh? How cliché."

Nepgear chastised her sister, "Take this seriously, Neptune! Even if it's cliché, we have to deal with the possibility of it actually happening!"

At that moment, Noire and Uni found the three of them sitting together. They sat down next to them, surprised to see Uzume here.

Noire spoke first, "When did you get here, Uzume?"

"Just a few minutes ago. That Deity of Knowledge guy pulled me through a portal."

Upon hearing his title, Uni looked down at her hands, remembering what he had given her. Ever since she got the gift from Magist, she felt powerful, as if she could take on the strongest of monsters, and possibly even Noire herself. This feeling of strength was incredible, although she had to consciously remind herself of the reason she got the power to begin with.

Suddenly, pages flew together in a cloud two meters away from the five of them, and Magist formed from them. He opened his hand and the dimension bent, placing the other four CPUs next to the present five.

He crossed his arms and began to speak. "Everyone is here. I shall begin telling you of my plan. Listen well."

Neptune sighed of boredom. "Uzume said you were going to destroy Hyper Dimension, right?" She yawned. "Soooo cliché. Can't villains come up with something more creative than ruling or destroying the world?"

"What I told her was only partially true. I intend only on erasing mortals from your dimension and sculpting a new, perfect dimension in the progress."

Noire wasn't planning on hearing any more. "What's the point of making a 'perfect' dimension if there won't be anyone to appreciate it?! You'd just be wasting both your time and all the lives in Hyper Dimension!"

"You'd still be alive. The word 'human' is synonymous with 'war' and 'sorrow'. As I've said, humanity is a stain on my lineage, and I intend to clean it."

Neptune was confused. "But why? Humans seem just fine to me, apart from the ones who make bad fan-fiction about us! Why would you want to kill them?"

"I've already told you of the Rainbow War. You know of the Console War. But, even before the time of the CPU, humans waged war on each other for no better reason than their notions of 'morality'. Creatures who can fight and kill for such…illogical reasons have no right to exist!"

Uni clenched her fists. "Don't make me laugh! You intend to erase all of humanity for their wars even though we're in peace now?!"

Magist chuckled and wagged his finger at Uni. "You're acting rather cold. Did you already forget…?"

Uni gasped in shock but then grew angry. "S-shut up! I don't know what you're talking about!"

"I'm sure you don't. But, when you need it, you will know everything, won't you? I suppose that in that regard, mortals and goddesses are not so different."

Noire looked at Uni, confused as to what Magist was referring to. "Uni…what…? What's going on here?"

Uni suddenly grew angry. Her eyes were tinted green by an infinitesimal degree. "It's nothing!"

Noire took a step backward, shocked by her sister's unusual fieriness. She almost never yelled or snapped at her, so whenever she did, it was a sure sign that something was wrong.

"Well, what am I witnessing? Is this a case of estranged siblings? Next thing you know, you'll kill her, Uni!"

She growled in rage. "Shut up! I…" Her eyes returned to normal and she collapsed to her knees, her hands on the back of her head. "I…"

Noire ran over to her sister's side. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Suddenly, Uni regained the green tint in her eyes, and this time, Noire noticed the change. "Your eyes…what's wrong with your eyes?"

Magist began chuckling once more, but after a few seconds it developed into full blown laughter. "Is this what you meant when you said you would 'apologize' and 'make up for your mistakes'? Do you honestly think this will make up for all of the times you've failed in the past? Don't make me laugh!" He formed a black sphere in his hand and cast a portal underneath the two of them, sending them out of Biblio.

Nepgear looked at Magist, contempt in her eyes. "What did you do to Uni? Why?!"

Magist could barely contain his excitement. "Ooh, someone's gotten feisty! Don't forget how much of a failure your sister is, too!" Neptune cringed at these words.

Nepgear was yelling now, something strange for her character, "My sister is an amazing person! She might not be the best goddess, but she's always there when it counts!"

"No matter. I've had enough of this. Begone." He cast another black sphere, this time separating into different portals underneath all of them that cast them to their home nation.

Once they were gone, Magist slowly turned around and paced around the room. He grabbed a book unlike any of the other books in the library and began to peruse its contents before he placed it back on the shelf and buried his face into his hands.

"I'm sorry…" His words echoed off of the walls of the now empty library.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Sisters

Oh boy. Not sure about this one. Be prepared for feels, but more importantly…eh, you'll see.

The goddesses were deposited in their home nations, where they fell about one foot from the portal. They were all unharmed, but in Lastation, another issue was brewing.

Noire stood up, dusted herself off, and looked down at Uni. "Uni, you were acting weird back there, and your eyes were tinted green. What's going on here?"

Uni glared, still on the ground. "No matter how hard I try or how well I fight, you never plainly compliment me! It's always 'it was an improvement for you' or 'you did better than last time, but that's not much'! How are you acting as if I'm the one at fault?!"

Noire took a step back, shocked. "Uni…"

Uni was not listening. Her eyes were once again tinted green. "Nepgear is kinder to me than you are! Of course I'd take a power like this if it meant getting recognition from my own sister!"

Noire was recalling all of the times Uni had chosen to spend time with Nepgear as opposed to her. "I'm…"

Uni cut her off, "Sorry? You're sorry? NOW you're sorry? What does that do about all those other times?" She stood up. "Y'know what?! I don't even want you as my sister anymore!" She began to storm off, but Noire stopped her.

"Fine. Because you're not my sister, either."

Uni was shocked. "What?!"

Noire squeezes Uni's arm tightly. "My sister is someone who constantly pushes herself to grow stronger, and who keeps trying to prove me wrong, no matter the odds! She isn't someone who gets power from a Deity to make it easy!" She let go of Uni's wrist. "I've failed you many times before. But doing this? That makes you the real failure."

Uni stared at Noire, the green tint gone from her eyes. After a moment of silence, she stormed out, leaving Noire to stand in place for a while. She looked to the right and saw an old photo of her and Uni, smiling and posing for the camera. She picked it up and ran her hand over the frame, thinking back to before she had failed Uni as a sister. In the Lastation Basilicom, there was silence.

In the Planeptune Basilicom, things were going much better. Neptune removed the book that Magist had given her from her jacket and placed it on her desk. She stared at it intently, eyeing the picture on the front cover with especial contempt. Nepgear stood behind her, silently encouraging her. With a fluid motion, Neptune brought up her sword and sank it through the book. Nepgear ran and hugged her sister, happy that she was able to sever her bond with Magist. Behind them, ASJ emerged from around the corner and silently watched.

"See? Magist was lying! You're the best older sister ever and I love you!" Nepgear placed emphasis on the last two words, and squeezed Neptune very tightly.

Neptune patted her arm, as if she was in a boxing match. "Okay, okay! I can't breathe!" Nepgear released the hug, allowing Neptune to take a few precious breaths. "I get that I'm great, but that's a little much, Nep Jr."

Nepgear giggled innocently. "Sorry, it's just…"

ASJ walked into the room and interrupted, "Sorry to interject, but it seems like…we have a visitor. A certain…Uni." There was a moment of silence. "Given that I've attempted to kill this same Uni, this is incredibly awkward and I shall leave now. Farewell." He fell through the ground, leaving no trace of his being and allowing Uni, who had just walked up the stairs, to take center stage.

Nepgear ran over, eager to spend time with her friend, but stopped short. "Are you here by yourself? Where's Noire?"

Uni winced at hearing her name, but nevertheless mustered the strength to say, "We're not…she's…she had some stuff to do."

Neptune skipped over and happily added, "Is that Uni code for 'Noire has no social skills'?"

She had to take conscious effort not to lose her temper at Neptune's prodding. "No, we…look, we had an argument, alright? It got bad, and I left."

Nepgear was shocked. "Goodness, was it that bad? Normally, you solve these things quickly."

"We…said we weren't sisters anymore."

There was a moment of silence before Neptune began to awkwardly whistle.

Nepgear turned to her sister. "Neptune, now's not the time for that! We have to help…"

Uni put her hand on Nepgear's shoulder. When she turned to face her, she noticed that there was a green tint in her eyes. "No. This is my choice, and if I come to regret it, I have to fix it."

Nepgear looked closely at Uni's eyes for a moment to ensure she wasn't seeing improperly. "Uni…what's with your—"

Uni interrupted. "Nothing. Noire asked the same question."

Neptune looked into her eyes as well. "When you say it like that, we know something's wrong. Why are your eyes all green and weird?"

Uni sighed, her secret revealed. "I…I got a book from Magist that gave me power. I thought…I thought that I could use it to fix my relationship with Noire."

Nepgear looked back at the book Neptune stabbed, and then back to Uni. "But…why would…"

Uni lost her temper. "You don't know what it's like! You don't have to deal with never being accepted or appreciated by your own sister! You don't have to push yourself just to earn a compliment that isn't partly an insult! And…" Her voice cracked a little bit. "You don't have to deal with losing her."

Nepgear stared into Uni's eyes for a moment, and then pulled her into a hug. "You're right. I don't know what you're feeling right now." She squeezed a little tighter. "But I do know that I'm going to help you, even if it means talking to Noire myself."

Uni was shocked at this move. "Why? Why would you do all of that?"

"Because I can't stand to see you hurt like this. Because…it's because I love you, Uni."

Neptune looked at her sister, a proud smile on her face. She quietly mumbled to herself, "Finally…I could hear half of the readers demanding that…"

Uni matched Nepgear's hug and was silent for a few moments. When she finally spoke, it was a whisper: "Thank you…thank you so much…"

The two of them stayed like this for about fifteen seconds before Uni broke off and sat back down. She pulled out her phone from her pocket and swiped through her camera roll before finally settling on a picture. It was a selfie of her and Noire, and strangely enough, it was the same picture that Noire had picked up in the Basilicom. As she stared at it, a smile briefly crossed her face as she reminisced to times passed. Curious, Nepgear sat down next to her and looked over her shoulder.

"That picture…there's a copy of it in the Lastation Basilicom, isn't there?"

She nodded slowly. "Noire sometimes says it's her 'most prized possession'." She scoffed. "Knowing her, she probably picked it up and dramatically broke it."

Nepgear put her arm across Uni's neck. She said in a scolding voice, "Don't say things like that! I'm sure things will get better."

Uni looked into Nepgear's eyes. "How can you be so sure?"

There was a fiery determination visible in her eyes and audible in her words, "I already said why, didn't I? I won't stop until this all gets better."

The two hugged once more, and this time they embraced for about a minute before they heard and saw ASJ crawl back through the ground. They stared at him for a few seconds until he broke the silence.

"What? I just wanted to see if I could help." He looked at Nepgear and Uni in silence for a moment. "But…I suppose you two have already got it worked out already, haven't you? Well, just to let you know, Noire is headed this way right now."

Uni looked at him intently. "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "Absolutely."

Neptune thought for a moment. "Wait a minute!" She accusatively pointed a finger at him. "How do you know that? Weren't you lingering around here? And, even if you weren't, how would you have gotten to Lastation so fast?"

ASJ threw his hand down and warped behind Neptune. "I can teleport." He playfully poked her in the back of the neck.

She staggered forward. "H-hey! That's a bit of a weak spot! Be careful!"

He put his hands up to show that he was no threat. "My apologies. I meant no harm."

Neptune waved her hand. "Not a problem, as long as you don't go poking me every chance you get."

ASJ was about to say something in response, but they heard crashing footsteps approaching from the stairs. He looked at Uni and pointed in the direction of the sound, and she stood and readied herself. After a few moments, Noire emerged and looked around the room, her eyes finally settling on Uni.

She sighed. "Uni, I…"

Uni squinted. "What do you want?"

Noire was hurt by these words. "I just wanted to apologize. I said some things that—"

Uni rolled her eyes. "'Some' things? 'Some'?! For almost all my life, it's been the same way!"

She had no response that could possibly make her look any better. Neptune crossed her arms and shook her head, and Nepgear simply looked at her, curious as to what she would say next. When it seemed the scenario couldn't get any worse, a portal appeared behind everyone and deposited Uzume and the taller, black-clad Neptune.

"Hey Nepsy, what's going on here? I came by to have some fun, but it looks like you've already got your hands full."

Neptune gestured for her to be quiet. She pulled both her and the taller Neptune into a huddle and began whispering, allowing Noire to continue. ASJ followed suit, not saying anything, but instead staring directly into Noire's eyes and waiting pensively for something to happen.

Noire took a deep breath and began, "Uni, I'm sorry. I've said and done a lot of things that I really regret now. You have no reason to forgive me, but…will you?"

Nepgear and ASJ looked at Uni, eager to hear her response. She stared into her sister's eyes, clearly thinking very carefully about her decision. By now, Uzume and both Neptunes had finished their huddle, so they also stared at her. Even Histoire, sensing the commotion, had emerged to see what was going on, and began to look around the room inquisitively. All of this made it very difficult to focus, as Uni knew what they all wanted her to say, but she was unsure of what her own answer would be.

Uni could barely speak. "I…"

ASJ walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. His voice was quiet and calm, "It's okay if you need to think. We've inadvertently placed you under a lot of stress, and it's only natural that you'd be confused. Everyone, why don't we give them some space? I'm sure they both need it." He fell through the ground, and everyone else retreated to their rooms.

Uni waited for a few moments to ensure that everyone had stopped listening before she began, "What you said just then…was it true?"

Noire nodded slowly. "Of course it's true." She gave a wry chuckle. "I couldn't even bring myself to lie right now."

She let out a heavy sigh. Her eyes were now the usual red with no extraneous colorations. "Then…I'm sorry, too. I caused a lot of trouble all because I wanted recognition or something like that."

Noire pulled her into a hug. "Don't be sorry. I'm the one who should be apologizing. All of this time, I had been pushing you away without even realizing it. I had been hurting you, and I had no idea."

The two hugged tightly for a little while, as the tension began to melt away. A few moments after they embraced, Uni could be heard sniffling as she quietly cried to herself.

"What I said earlier…about you, and not being my sister…I'm…"

Noire patted her on the back. "It's alright. You don't have to say anything; I understand."

They continued their embrace, and in that moment, they were truly sisters.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Fall

Before you say anything, I had no idea what I was doing when I wrote Orange Heart. As a result, it may seem a little bit weird to read her lines, but…hopefully, that doesn't take away from the experience too much. I'll see if I can get any tips for my next project.

Uzume, both Neptunes, ASJ, and Histoire all returned to the room after five minutes of absence. They all looked at Uni and Noire with smiles on their faces.

ASJ walked over first. "I see you've solved your dispute. Good for you." He phased halfway through the ground. "Unfortunately, I must go, but I trust you can all have fun without me." He fell completely through the ground.

The taller Neptune and Uzume had not seen ASJ's ability and so were quite shocked to see him fall through the ground as a ghost would. They stared at the ground where ASJ was in shock, wondering how what they just witnessed was possible.

"I don't know how it works myself, but you get used to it eventually," Uni clarified.

Histoire's eyes turned blue and her voice was urgent, "Everyone! We have a situation!"

The shorter Neptune jumped a little at the sudden message. "What's up, Histy?"

Histoire put her hands to her head in concentration. "There's…a massive hole in the sky directly above the center of the continent! Also, the people at the Obelisks are exhibiting strange behavior!"

Everyone ran or flew over to the window and noticed a green vortex in the distance. Lightning crackled around it and beams of energy flew into the air from each of the four nations, originating from the Obelisks.

Histoire was almost out of breath, "I've already sent a message to the other CPUs. Everyone, please hurry!"

Everyone ran to leave. Luckily, since their transformations allowed flight, the journey there was relatively short, but when they got there, they saw nothing for a few moments.

Purple Heart was the first to touch down. "This is the spot, but…what exactly are we waiting for?"

They all looked around and, after forty seconds of nothing happening, they noticed the other CPUs approaching from all directions. When they all arrived, a beam of light shot down from the portal in the sky and they saw an outline of a man descending from it. Everyone readied their weapons and, when the light beam faded, they saw Magist.

Black Heart broke the silence, "Finally here to 'kill all mortals'? I was beginning to wonder if you were serious."

Magist raised his hand and, without touching her, lifted Black Heart about five inches from the ground. He threw his hand to the right, and Black Heart was rapidly thrown in the same direction. She had to use her flight to stabilize herself and keep from falling into the water. Magist looked at Uni and chuckled.

"Oh, you're fighting with her now? I thought you hated each other." He took a step forward. "What ever happened to that Uni who wanted to prove her sister wrong and would do anything just for recognition?" He opened his arms. "I can be your older sibling. You won't have to do anything to 'impress' me."

Black Heart lunged and slashed at Magist, prompting him to burst into pages and fly around the area. She turned to Uni, "Don't listen to him! He's just trying to confuse you!"

Uni tightened her hold on her weapon and slowed her breathing. "I got that."

He reformed behind Nepgear, disallowing Uni from shooting at him. He grabbed her weapon and began struggling to maintain a hold. "You wouldn't shoot me now, would you?" He burst into pages once more and reformed above Nepgear, sitting on her shoulders condescendingly. "All I'm trying to do is destroy the filthy mortals. That'll make your job easier, won't it?"

Uni shot directly at Magist's chest, forcing him to burst into pages once again, this time reforming on top of Purple Heart's sword, stopping her from lifting it. "You've always been rather lazy. Without mortals, you won't have to do your job. Doesn't that appeal to you?"

Purple Heart shook out her weapon from underneath him and slashed at Magist, and in reaction he dodged as opposed to bursting. "I wouldn't have to do my job, but those 'filthy mortals' are my people! Contrary to what you may wish, I won't just let them die."

Magist sighed. "I see. Then, I suppose it is a battle then." He raised his hands and the earth began to tremble. In response, the CPUs simply took flight, but they noticed that rocks were flying upward towards a central point, as if Magist was forming a meteor in front of their eyes.

Orange Heart sent out a blast from her megaphone towards him, forcing him to drop concentration and, subsequently, drop the rocks back to the ground. He burst into pages and reformed directly in front of her, grabbing hold of her weapon.

"You won't be needing this, will you?" He snatched it out of her hand and began looking at it closely. "You never stopped talking about your dreams, did you?"

She swung a punch for his face, and he promptly broke into pages and flew all around her, forming a somewhat cocoon-like structure.

"Even in the bleakest of moments, you dreamed. Dreaming of better days, or even of something as simplistic as eating pudding." The pages slowed down in their flight and began to show Orange Heart some scenes from the past, especially those of her in Zero Dimension. "But…" They showed her the destruction and leveled grounds in that same dimension. "Dreams are just a pathetic excuse to escape from reality. If you had just looked around, you would have seen that dreams were useless."

Orange Heart attempted to grab one of the pages from flight. She was angry, "Dreams are what kept me going, even when everything was ruined! Just because you never had one…" She materialized her megaphone, taking it from Magist, "DOESN'T MEAN IT MAKES ME WEAK!!!" She shouted into it with full force, blowing away the swirl of pages.

He reformed at a distance. "Interesting. Very, very interesting…"

Purple Heart looked around for a moment, as if she was searching for something. She finally said, "Where's ASJ? By now, he should be here to help us fight."

Black Heart flew over. "I suspect that ASJ is the person in front of us."

Purple Heart was shocked. "What?" She took a moment to think, and it began to make sense. "Now that you mention it, he left just before this all happened, and Uzume hadn't seen him until he came out to the balcony…" She shook her head. "But, Azzy wouldn't do that, would he?"

Black Heart readied herself. "We'll just have to break that mask and find out for sure."

Everyone replied in unison. "Right!"

Magist chuckled. "You don't think I'll just let you do that, do you?" He clapped his hands together, and energy began crackling between them. As he separated them, a bright white orb had formed in between his palms. "The Deity holds the power to create, but…" He expanded the orb and it was now the size of a dodgeball. Its radiance was incredible; it was as if he held the sun in his hand. "They also hold the power to destroy." He threw the orb towards Planeptune.

For a moment, there was nothing but silence as Neptune and Nepgear stared off towards their nation. The orb flew with alarming speed, but because of the distance they were from the nation, it still took about five seconds for the orb to make its way there.

Magist clenched his fist. "Erase."

Suddenly, the orb expanded to great size, easily engulfing the entire nation of Planeptune. It was as if the sun had been brought down upon the unsuspecting country, and nothing was visible through it. The orb began to shrink back down to normal size, and when it did, what was left was very odd. There was no crater or evidence of an explosion, rather, it was as if the space the orb had occupied never existed at all. There was simply an empty blackness where no light or sound propagated whatsoever.

Neptune and Nepgear's transformations ended and they fell to the ground. Both of them slowly began to dematerialize and break into data. Neptune looked at her hands and her eyes widened in shock, "Wha-what's going on?"

Magist crossed his arms. "The nation of Planeptune no longer exists, and thus, your Shares are gone. For any goddess, having their Shares removed that quickly results in certain death."

Noire and Uni flew over as fast as they could, trying in vain to restore Planeptune's goddesses. At this, Magist began laughing. "It's no use. No matter what you do, they're gone."

Uni's eyes were misty. "Nepgear! You can't die here!"

Nepgear lifted her hand and just barely managed to touch Uni's cheek. "It's okay, Uni. Really…" Uni held her hand tightly. "Just make sure…you don't die, too…" She pulled Uni in and gave her a kiss on the cheek, and with that, she was gone.

Neptune looked over at where her sister once was, and then back to Noire. "My time's soon too, isn't it?" Her eyes were beginning to close of their own accord. "You'd…better not join us for a while…" Neptune faded into data, and with her, Planeptune ceased to exist.

Magist began to howl with laughter. "So the dying heroines managed to get out one last message of encouragement, huh? Well then, what will you do now? What else do I need to take away to prove that you can't do anything?"

Noire, Uni, and Uzume all began to throw attacks at him with all of their might and rage, furious that he would laugh at the deaths of people close to them. They threw blow after blow, all achieving nothing.

Sensing their anger and inability, Magist prodded at their pain, "Uni, she loved you. Can't you put a little more aim behind your attacks?" At this, she grew even angrier. "I'm beginning to regret giving you power."

Having been occupied with those three, Magist failed to notice both White Heart and Green Heart winding up an attack behind him, and he was struck directly in the back by a combination attack.

"Waugh!" He stumbled forward, directly into Black Heart's slash. "You…put a lot of thought into this, didn't you?"

Uni didn't let him recover for even a second. "Rarrgh!" She shot a round directly into his mask, shattering it into pieces.

Magist staggered backward, clutching his now broken mask. "Well, then…you really wanted to know my identity, didn't you? Well, here it is." He threw off his mask, and behind it there was chocolate brown eyes and jet black hair.

Black Heart froze in shock. "ASJ…so I was right! But…why? Why would you do all of this?"

ASJ chuckled. "I already told you, didn't I? Mortals are a scourge upon this earth. They wage war and hurt others for such idiotic reasons as resources or their twisted ideologies. Without mortals, this world would be pure." He clenched his fist. "Imagine utopia. Maybe it's a world where you have the most Shares. Maybe it's a world where everyone is happy. No matter what your utopia is, it's impossible while mortals live."

White Heart was now rather angry, "So you're just gonna kill everyone?! We could achieve the same result if we led our nations normally!"

"Don't make me laugh. Humanity has proven time and time again that they would rather fight for the present than collaborate for the future. If you name something, anything, humans will fight for it. It's so strongly rooted in our nature that it'd be impossible to change it now."

Uni had heard enough. "How can you go back on everything that you were? What happened to the ASJ who ate so much yogurt he got sick? What happened to the ASJ that would laugh on the balcony? What happened to you?!"

ASJ looked at her, eyes numbed and hollowed with pain. "Nothing. I just…fell."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Old Wounds

White Heart lunged towards ASJ. "You 'fell'? What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

No longer concerned with hiding his identity, ASJ simply phased through the attack. "Do you still not get it? This world only knows sorrow. Every mortal falls at some point." He grabbed her weapon and threw her aside.

Uni fired four rounds towards him. "And so you're going to kill them all? Does that fix anything that we couldn't?"

ASJ held out his hand and the bullets stopped short, losing all speed. "No matter what you do or how well you lead, humanity will succumb to its nature soon enough. True peace is simply a delusion we created to give us something to work towards."

Ram was still as loud as always, "But we're in peace right now! We're not fighting any wars, so why would you still try and kill everyone?"

"It's because I know that we'll enter one soon enough. In the past, humans have always—"

Orange Heart interrupted, "You keep talking about humans and what they've done! Think about what we can do if we keep everyone alive!"

ASJ looked condescendingly at her. "I already know what we can do. We can hurt, kill, and perpetuate sorrow. Humans cannot—"

This time, Black Heart cut him off, "People can do more than fight! Haven't you seen the inventions people make in times of peace?"

His voice was a low whisper that was teeming with rage. "If humans can do so much more than fight…" He began to yell, "THEN WHY DID MY BROTHER DIE?!!"

Nobody knew how to react. He continued, "If they can do so much good, then why did he get killed? Why? WHY?!" Tears were beginning to form in his eyes.

Green Heart spoke, "You're isolating your view to the negative side of humanity. Just look at the technological progress our nations have made in this time of peace."

He was in denial. "Humanity never changes. You speak so highly of this 'time of peace', but in all likelihood, there'll be another war in my lifetime." Tears were streaming down his face. "And when that happens, people will lose the ones they love. Families will be torn apart, all because we have some deluded vision of what's right!"

Uni angrily replied, "Then wouldn't it be better to keep them alive and sway them from that path then to kill everyone?! By taking such an absolute path, you're eliminating all possibility of improvement!"

"What other option is there?! What other option is there that can stop humanity's wars?! No matter what we've done in the past, we always fell back into the same cycle! That's what I really meant when I said 'falling'! We just fall into the same cycle of war and false peace!"

There was silence for a moment before Orange Heart spoke, "What do you want, Azzy?"

"What do I want? I've been telling you all this time; I want…"

She shook her head. "Not what you want for everyone else. What do you want for yourself?"

He was confused. "Why?! Why are you asking me?! Why do you care?!"

"Because you've been talking about giving other people a way out of their 'misery', so I wanted to know what you wanted. You've never mentioned why you want the path you've chosen."

He put his hands to his head in an effort to silence her. "I-I don't know! Stop trying to confuse me! Just…" He clenched his fists and opened his arms, "LET ME WIN!!!"

He sent out a massive wave of force that crashed through the open fields and made its way to each of the nations, leveling buildings and killing anyone who hadn't taken proper shelter. When the blast made its way past the nations and into the ocean, a massive wave was pushed outward until it crossed the horizon and was no longer visible.

ASJ collapsed to his knees. His voice was now a barely audible whisper, "I'm…doing the right thing…I…I swear, I am…"

The goddesses looked to the devastation all around them, but Uni and Orange Heart were resolute in the path they had chosen.

Uni spoke, "Now, be honest. Why did you want to kill everyone?"

"I just…I don't…" He looked at his hands. "I just want…I just want everyone to be happy…I just want everyone to have hope…" He slowly stood up. "Nobody…deserves to live without love like I did…"

White Heart wasn't intending on hearing anymore. "If you 'wanted everyone to be happy', then why—"

ASJ was no longer listening. He interrupted, "Why…why are you fighting me…? Don't you want everyone to be happy, too?"

Black Heart replied, "Yes, but…"

ASJ looked up towards the sky and yelled, "THEN WHY ARE YOU STILL FIGHTING ME?!!"

Uni looked at him intently. "I see why you'd think that humans can't change, but killing everyone just isn't right! There's a better way to achieve happiness!"

ASJ slowly shook his head. "You couldn't understand. You couldn't possibly understand. You didn't…you didn't lose everyone and everything…"

Orange Heart defiantly replied, "And you haven't, either."

ASJ was outraged at her saying this. "How would you know?! Until I became the Deity, I had never seen or heard of you! How could you possibly understand—"

Orange Heart flew over to him and lifted his face up. "Look around you and tell me you've lost everything! You still have people fighting to get you to see the truth!"

He looked around and shook his head. "Even if I miraculously saw the 'error of my ways', do you honestly think things would work out?! I'd be hated by everyone for this! The only reason I exacted this plan this way was so that I could be the sole bearer of the people's hatred!"

Uni was shocked. "You were willing to go that far? But then, why wouldn't you just work with the Basilicom and try to change things? You wouldn't have to bear anyone's hatred."

ASJ began laughing. "Do you still not get it?! I want to eliminate sorrow entirely! To do that, I'd have to die! Everyone would have to die!"

Uni shook her head and yelled, "Have you already forgotten Cri's wish? The thing he asked both of us to do before he went on that last quest?"

ASJ froze in place, and tears began flowing faster than before. "Why…why would you mention him…why are you trying so hard just to…"

She responded, "He said, 'Keep living and change the world, and when I'm gone, make me smile with what you achieve'! Do you actually think this is what he meant by that?!"

ASJ was sobbing uncontrollably. "Why are you fighting so hard…why do you care so much?! Why do you care about me?!"

Uni walked over and placed her hand on his shoulder. "It's a goddess' job to care about her people. And…" She reached into his robe and pulled out his photo album. "As a sister, I'd be a failure if I let something like this get destroyed."

He grabbed it and his eyes widened with shock. "How did…" He opened it to the second to last image, and it was a picture of him, Cri, and Uni all smiling at the camera. He closed it and remembered the day when that picture was taken, and his brightly he smiled. "You…"

Orange Heart walked over and stood next to Uni. She deactivated her transformation and looked ASJ dead in the eye. "You and 'me' aren't so different. You both had lost everything, and you both set your eyes on humanity as a whole. If you're anything like 'me', you just need to accept all of the pain for what it is and do what you can about it."

He buried his face in his hands. "How…how can I just 'accept' all of this? How can I 'accept' the death of my entire family?" He chuckled. "I think I get it…you've never had to watch the person closest to you die, have you? Even you, Uzume, who was born into a desolate world ravaged by hatred, had someone with you from the very start." He stopped crying, but the dry lines on his face were still visible. "You're just pretending to—"

Uni interrupted, "Shut up! Just because we don't know the same pain you do doesn't mean we can't care about you!" She grabbed his photo album. "That's the reason I'm in so many of these pictures! It's because I don't want you, or anyone else, to suffer like that!"

He looked at her in disbelief. "But…why? Why me? Why do all of this for me?"

"It's because we're somewhat similar at our core. In fact, if I lost Noire, I might have walked a similar path." She looked him in the eyes. "It's okay to cry when you're in pain. But you can't try to kill everyone because of that."

He grew angry. "That's not the reason I wanted to end humanity. My brother's death hurts me, but I would never try and kill all of humanity as revenge for that. Humanity has done nothing but perpetuate sorrow. Every day, someone is killed or stolen from in one of the four nations. Why would I want to live in a world where every day, someone takes it upon themselves to hurt or kill someone else?"

Rom shyly spoke, "That's just the bad people. There's good people too, who try and make things better."

Ram added on, "Yeah! She might not look like it, but Blanc's always trying to make life better for Lowee!"

Green Heart wisely stated, "If humans only hurt and killed, there wouldn't be any doctors or veterinarians. People do more than what you've stated, you just have to see it to believe it."

He finally relented, "I…I…" He looked down. "You're right. I-I'm…a failure, aren't I? I was so…blinded by my pain that I couldn't see any of the good in the world. I…there's no amount of apology that excuses this, but…I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I…"

Black Heart silenced him. "It's okay. We're just glad that you finally realized."

Uni nodded. "Yeah. No more crap about humans only killing."

He chuckled. "Right." He slowly stood up, determination in his eyes. "There's something I have to do. My apology was so weak, I have to do this to make things right."

White Heart asked, "What are you talking about? What else is there to do?"

ASJ pointed at the empty black space where Planeptune once was. "I'm going to give up my life to bring back the people you love."

Uzume was shocked at his sudden resolve. "After everything we did to save you, you're going to throw it away again?!"

He looked at her. "Uzume, I am grateful that you did that for me. However, I couldn't possibly live the guilt of having erased an entire nation and two of the people closest to you. This is the only way to make things right."

After a moment of silent thinking, everyone finally agreed. ASJ took a deep breath and opened his arms wide. Green energy began to flow around him, and the details on his robe began to glow. He pointed his outstretched palms towards the black space, and the energy that circulated him began to flow out into the emptiness. Gradually, Planeptune was being rebuilt, and it was as if the nation had never been destroyed. He lifted his arms into the air and directed the Share energy from Planeptune towards himself, and he began molding it with his hands. Shortly, he recreated Neptune, and then Nepgear, as if they had always been alive.

ASJ fell to the ground. "What is this feeling? It's…warm, and it feels like it's…bubbling up from my chest…ah, of course," he thought to himself, "I'm…happy."


	16. A Requiem

A Requiem

Neptune and Nepgear looked up and all around, marveling at their new life. Their thinking was cut short, though, when Uni and Noire ran over and hugged them tightly.

"Nepgear!" Uni was incredibly relieved to see that Nepgear was alive. "I'm so happy you're okay!"

She reciprocated the affectionate embrace. "I'm just happy to see you, Uni. I started thinking that it was all over."

Noire broke from her hug. "Oh, by the way Neptune—"

Neptune nodded. "If it's about Azzy, we know already. He gave us the knowledge when he revived us."

She looked grim. "Then, why don't we see him off?"

The four of them walked back over to where ASJ lay. As the Deity, he still had some time left to live, and he was currently surrounded by all of the other goddesses.

"Don't…give me that face, you guys…this is…my way of repaying you." ASJ was smiling brighter than they had ever seen him smile before.

Neptune looked at him. "I remember what you said on the day we met. How even though I don't work too hard, I can still be a great goddess. I'll be sure to make that true."

He nodded. "You'd better…when I look down…or, rather, when I look up from hell, I'd better see a booming nation…" He looked at Nepgear. "And you. You'd better…stick with her 'till the very end…she's…a mischievous little devil. You'll have to…keep her in line."

Nepgear wiped away a tear. "Got it. I won't forget the time we worked on machinery together."

He simply smiled wider in response. "Uzume…I spent all of that time…insulting your dream, but…I never bothered to…ask what it was…" He looked at her. "Could you…tell me what your dream was?"

She nodded in determination. "I want to see Zero Dimension become a busy home for thousands, even millions of people."

He chuckled. "That's…a nice dream. You'd better…make it a reality…when I look up, I want to see…great, big cities…floating cars…maybe even a new game console…"

Uzume nodded once again, her resolve stronger than ever. "You got it. I'll make sure that it gets done."

"Good…" His eyes trailed over to Blanc. "I know how much…you love to read…I left…a book in your room…leave a review of it on my resting place…will you…?"

She silently nodded. His voice was beginning to waver, "Thank you. Oh, I never got…to see your finished novel…leave one of those, too…please…" She silently nodded again.

He looked to Rom and Ram. "Something tells me…you still don't know why…I made you try and make…a perfect sphere…"

They both shook their head. "I wanted…to see if you would work together. Then, I saw you two…and how close you were…and I couldn't help but smile…I left a bunch of candy in your room…I think you'll enjoy it…" He smiled again, and the twins could not muster any words, so they simply nodded.

"Vert…I never really…got to meet you. I always thought…there was nothing to you…but your chest size. But…seeing what you did for me here…I know I was wrong. Please, keep leading Leanbox…make sure you stay yourself, no matter what…got it…?"

She nodded. "I will not waver."

He turned to Uni, and for a moment, his smile bent into a frown. "I'm…sorry…sorry that our first meeting in such a long time…turned out the way it did…but…I'm glad we got the time we did." He began to laugh. "Tell your sister…to be a little bit kinder, 'kay? If she got her way…I'd have died long ago…"

Noire nodded, but Uni was still confused and almost irritated. "Why would you do this, after all we did to save you?"

ASJ smiled wider than he ever had before. "Because…you opened your heart…to two little boys squatting on your balcony. You…gave them a chance, and that was…enough. You're…an excellent CPU Candidate…but more importantly, you're…an amazing sister. Make sure…Noire doesn't lead Lastation astray…"

Uni dried her eyes and nodded fiercely. "Got it. Nothing will happen to our nation."

He chuckled. "Good. I think…I'm going…to rest now…but before I go…" He pulled a piece of paper out of his sleeve and handed it to Uni with what little strength he had. "Read this…when you get home…make sure it's in private…it'll be…" He smiled, "Better…that way…"

She nodded. ASJ's eyes closed and, with a final sigh, he let go of all his sorrow.

AN: It feels good to finish a project! I know there are some areas where I could have improved, but for a first story, I'd say it's pretty good. The worst thing was Orange Heart…ugh. I had no idea what to do, so I just wrote her as a carbon copy of Uzume, but that is so wrong. I also gave Vert very little time in focus because I didn't really know how to write her. Overall, the main issue was the characters, but I think this was a good start.

Ah poop, I'm just now remembering that I never explained what the Conduits were! _ Well, I think it's simple enough. I wanted them to be the gateway to Hyper Dimension, and I think you gathered that based on the name.


	17. Epilogue

Epilogue

In the middle of the central continent of Gamindustri, life flourished. Bright green grass grew and stretched as far as the eye could see, and birds chirped happily among the trees. Every so often, a breeze would blow, pushing the grass and dragging leaves into the air. Today, though, the space was occupied by most of the citizens of Gamindustri, as well as the CPUs and Uzume as a guest appearance.

Purple Heart was the first to take the mic. "Today, one year ago, the Deity of Knowledge attacked the very spot where you stand now. He wanted nothing but to end all mortals in this world. With his descent from the dimension of Biblio, it seemed as if the entire world was doomed."

The audience began to murmur for a little bit before Nepgear took the microphone. "He fought with all of us, even going so far as to destroy the entire nation of Planeptune." The entire audience was now in uproar, but they quieted down after a few moments. "Eventually, we broke his mask and uncovered the truth."

Black Heart took the mic. "The Deity of Knowledge was just another Lastation citizen. In his life, he had lost his mother, father, and brother, and took a dark view on humanity. He believed that by destroying all mortals, he was freeing them from the cycle of violence they were doomed to stay in."

Uni was next to speak. "We managed to convince him that we could change the nature of mortality, and after a hard-fought struggle, he relented. He used his power to recreate Planeptune and revive its CPU and CPU Candidate."

White Heart was next. "He gave us all a dying message, proving that he was no more than a hurting man, haunted by his past."

Rom and Ram spoke together, "We hope that he is now happy with his brother in a better place."

Green Heart took the mic. "There is something we can all learn from his story, though. No matter how many wars we fight or how many people are killed, there is always potential for change."

Orange Heart took the mic next. "No matter how bad things seem, we can always make things right. As long as we take the time to help instead of hurt…"

It went back to Purple Heart. "If we give instead of taking…"

Nepgear spoke once more, "If we laugh instead of crying…"

Black Heart, "If we heal instead of killing…"

Uni, "If we put down our weapons…"

White Heart, Rom, and Ram spoke together: "If we work together…"

Green Heart finalized, "If we overcome our past instead of falling victim to it…"

They all spoke together: "We can change humanity."

The audience exploded into cheers and roars of appreciation. All of the goddesses retreated to their home nations along with the audience, where they began to work as normal. This was all excepting Uni, who decided to spend the one year anniversary of ASJ's death on the balcony, where they would commonly spend their time in his life.

It was getting late, and the sun was beginning to make its descent to the West. Beautiful stripes of red, yellow, and orange flashed across the horizon, with the sun acting as the centerpiece. Beneath, citizens clamored in their daily routines, some getting off of work and some beginning late shifts. A breeze blew through Uni's hair, and ruffled the leaves in the towering trees beneath the Basilicom.

"There you are." Noire had just finished a stack of paperwork, and had come outside to spend some valuable time with her sister. "Are you still thinking about him?"

She nodded. "Yeah. It's hard not to out here."

"I understand. You've built a connection with the place, since you spent so much time here with someone close."

Uni looked off into the distance, remembering the times ASJ and Cri would make their way up to this place and spend their time, as if it were their home. To be truthful, it was their home, since, even if they had a home, they would likely have spent their time here anyways.

"Oh, Neptune just sent me a message. Do you want to spend the night in Planeptune with me? She said Nepgear really wanted to see you."

Uni smiled brightly. "Let's go."

As the two headed to Planeptune, a rested soul could not help but smile.


	18. Alternate Ending: Utopia Realized

Utopia Realized

After the ending of Imagine Utopia, I thought it'd be best to give a happy ending to the people who wanted one. So here it is: Utopia Realized. I even gave it a cool name, too. ;)

ASJ pointed at the empty black space where Planeptune once was. "I'm going to give up my life to bring back the people you love."

Uni grabbed his wrist to stop him. "You can't. Not after everything we just did to save you. You can't just throw it away like that."

He looked at her, regret in his eyes. "I wish there was another way, but there just isn't. This is the only way for me to make things right."

Uzume walked over to him. "You've got everyone here with you." She activated her transformation. "Your friends are all here to help you!"

White Heart flew and took place above him along with her sisters. "It's kinda annoying when you try and do everything on your own like that. Give us some credit, will you?"

ASJ looked at everyone in disbelief for a moment, but eventually glared in determination. "Alright. Let's go." He turned to face the black space. "When I give the signal, lend me your Shares. I'll take everything from there."

Everyone waited in anxious silence. ASJ took a deep breath. "Let's go."

They all reached out to him, pouring Share energy outward. To their surprise, he absorbed the energy and coursed it around himself, and he began to shine with prismatic light. For a moment, he became completely engulfed in energy, and when he became visible again, he had changed. He was now floating above a book like Histoire did, but the book he floated above was quite large, and the covers were pitch black. Pages flew all around him, and the back of his robe had extended into a long, flowing cape.

As their Shares had been absorbed by ASJ, the goddesses' transformations ended. Noire asked, "What is that form? What happened to you?"

When he spoke, ASJ's voice was a mixture of his voice as well as all of the CPU's voices. "By giving me your Share energy, I was reunited with the essence of my lineage's first creation. That allowed me to access a transformed state similar to what the Deity of Sin achieved. I am the True Deity of Knowledge."

He flew above the empty space and opened his arms wide. Energy of all colors flowed out and quickly rebuilt the nation, replacing buildings, cars, trees, and even blades of grass in the exact place and state they were in before they were erased. After the nation itself had been rebuilt, the shapes of people were molded out of the same energy and eventually, Planeptune's citizens were reborn as if they had never died. ASJ touched the ground and placed his hands together. Since the citizens had been revived, their Share energy was present, but he now had to shape it so that a new, different goddess was not formed. He formed two balls in each of his hands, each of rainbow color, and did what he could to shape them.

Sensing his struggle, the other CPUs came to assist him, and ASJ quickly gave them instructions. "Everyone on my right, think of Neptune. Everyone on my left, think of Nepgear."

They did so, and to their amazement, the spheres seemed to grow and change with their thoughts, and within just a few moments, they resembled the two goddesses on a smaller scale. ASJ's brow wrinkled in concentration as he poured Share energy from Planeptune's citizens into the spheres, expanding them until Neptune and Nepgear were formed before their very eyes.

Once this Act was completed, ASJ touched the ground again and his transformation ended. The Share energy lent to him by the other goddesses returned to its original host, and the book that was floating underneath him vanished. He clutched his stomach and grimaced in pain, and he even coughed up blood twice.

Neptune looked at him with concern. "Are…you alright? It'd really suck if you died after you guys made that plan just to keep him alive."

He regained his balance and spoke, "I'm alright. Normally, a feat like that would have been easy, but since I had a reduced amount of Shares, it became difficult." He looked around. "If you're wondering how they know of the plan we made, I gave them the knowledge of everything that happened following their deaths when I revived them. I thought it would have been the easiest way to do things."

Neptune was beaming. "So, is this the elusive 'True Ending'? That first story's ending was kinda heavy stuff."

ASJ glared into the sky and mumbled, "You also sucked at writing Orange Heart…"

Uzume sneezed. "What was that?"

He shook his head. "Oh, nothing." His smile faded. "There's still the matter of my verdict, though. Even if you're okay with letting me off clean, your people might not be."

Noire looked at him intensely. "Are you willing to take that chance? If they choose for you to die, you'll just have to accept it."

ASJ nodded gravely. "After what I did, I'm willing to accept any and all punishment. Let's hold the summit tomorrow, at the place where I first touched down."

All of the CPUs returned to their nations to make preparations for the summit that was to take place tomorrow. Meanwhile, ASJ returned to Biblio, hoping to avoid contact with people before the verdict was made. It was now that he began to feel a great amount of regret, as he grabbed a book off of one of the shelves that detailed the events of the past few hours. Since Biblio shared its knowledge with the Deity, it was constantly updated to match their experiences, and now, a book had been created that recounted in painful detail ASJ's attack. He began to chastise himself for his stupidity, and he also started the process of writing a speech for the summit. He scrapped the project, though, when he decided that his words should come from his heart if a true, absolute verdict was to be made.

The next day came, and all of the citizens were moved to the center of the continent. This caused problems for Leanbox citizens, who had to be ferried en masse using all of the nation's boats, taking at least two hours. Once everyone had settled, ASJ opened a portal and appeared in front of all of the people of Gamindustri, the eight goddesses as well as Uzume standing behind him.

He let out a heavy sigh before he began, "People of Gamindustri. Today, I appear before you as a failure. Many of you, in fact, almost all of you, do not know who I am, but my actions affected and hurt every one of you, even if you don't realize it."

The audience began to murmur and gossip among themselves, but ASJ still continued, "When I was young, my mother and father died. I spent most of my life living with my brother, but he was killed when I was fifteen. His death sent me into a spiral of negative emotions and hatred for humanity, and I eventually stumbled upon the dimension of Biblio."

The audience grew confused, and it got to the point where ASJ had to raise his hand to continue speaking without interruption. "The details of my powers don't matter much. Once I got them, I began to make plans to…" He was almost crying. He had to take a moment to collect himself before continuing, "I made plans to erase all mortals from existence."

The audience was in uproar. "I believed that the only thing mortals could do was hurt and take. I harbored a hatred of all humans because of the one that killed my brother." He looked at his hands. "Yesterday, I attacked Gamindustri with intent on killing every one of you."

The audience raised their fists into the air and began to yell. When they had calmed down, he continued, "I fought against the CPUs, and even killed Neptune and Nepgear in my rage." He could barely be heard over the citizens' roars. "During our battle, though, your leaders convinced me of my stupidity. I was so blinded by my pain that I couldn't see how much they cared about you and, in fact, how far you had come."

The audience was now silent. They all eagerly awaited his next words. He took a deep breath and said, "Realizing this, I borrowed power from the remaining CPUs to ascend to my true form. I used their power combined with mine to rebuild Planeptune and revive their goddesses." He sighed. "And that's the story. Now, I am filled with regret and it feels like my chest might burst. I am ready to accept whatever punishment you decide for me, but I must ask you choose quickly. I cannot handle this guilt for much longer."

For a moment, the audience was in intense discussion amongst themselves. The goddesses held their breath, waiting for the fate of ASJ. He himself was having a hard time controlling his breathing.

Eventually, a citizen was handed a microphone and spoke, "Well, is Lady Neptune okay with you staying around?"

ASJ stammered. "I'm a-asking what y-you want. D-do you…"

Another citizen cut him off. "Yeah, if Lady Blanc is okay with you, you can't be too bad."

He could barely speak. When he opened his mouth, the only sound that escaped was an incomprehensible stutter.

"Lady Noire wouldn't put her faith in someone evil, right?"

"Yeah. Lady Vert seems to be fine with him, so I'm fine too."

ASJ hesitantly said, "Are you s-sure? T-this is f-final."

Neptune spoke behind him, "Don't give them more chances to have you executed! The people have made their choice."

He slowly nodded and turned back toward the crowd. "Everyone, thank you so much. I won't waste this chance you've given me."

In the days following this declaration, ASJ most certainly did not waste the chance he was given. He spent much of his time doing volunteer work at the Lastation orphanage, saying that he 'couldn't stand to have another child live the life he did'. He would sometimes go to the Planeptune Basilicom exclusively and explicitly to play the piano in the lobby area, and this appeased the guards stationed there as well as important visitors who happened to be waiting there. When he wasn't doing either of these things, he was in Lowee, either reading to Rom and Ram or tending to Blanc's library. He was an avid reader, so both of these things suited him very well.

On one of those days where he stayed in Planeptune, the lobby was commanded by his masterful playing of various classical pieces. His hands moved with deft precision, striking heart-wrenching chords and uplifting arpeggios. After one particular piece, his audience of guards gave him thunderous applause, and it was then that he thought of what to play next. Suddenly, an idea hit him and he smirked upon thinking of it. He cracked his knuckles and set to playing. The audience was waiting with extreme curiosity, and when ASJ finally began playing, they reacted very positively.

He had begun playing a slow waltz, and as he saw Uni and Noire approaching from outside, he smiled very brightly; his devious scheme was coming to fruition. As they opened the door, he began accentuating his slow arpeggios and chords, making an irresistibly romantic atmosphere. He and Neptune looked at each other and smirked; she knew what he was planning.

Uni stopped for a moment upon walking in. "What's with this mood? We're just here to hang out."

He ignored her and continued playing as he had been, allowing the music to work its magic. Although he had never felt romantic love before, he was a very accomplished pianist, and so he knew how to make a romantic atmosphere with just a piano. He nodded at Neptune, and apparently this was some sort of signal, as after he did this, he used his powers as the Deity to warp the space in the lobby. Where couches and tiled floor once were now stood a dance floor and love-seats. He smirked as Noire, Uni, and Nepgear as well as the guards looked around, confused. He continued playing his waltz, and had now progressed to a lovely adagio, and this served to fluster almost everyone in the room apart from Neptune and, of course, ASJ.

Uni looked around frantically. "Wh-what's going on here? We were just in the lobby!" Suddenly, the realization hit her. She glared at ASJ menacingly. "ASJ…"

He was unfazed by this. In fact, he chuckled. "Make that face all you want, but I can tell that you have an urge to move in time with the music. It's speaking to you, isn't it?" He began playing arpeggios with only his left hand so he could point to the dance floor with his right. "Go to the floor. When you do, someone else will join you. That's just how music works."

She hesitantly did so, and was surprised and flustered to see Nepgear take her hand once she arrived. The two began to slowly and nervously dance together, doing their best not to humiliatingly trip or lose time with the music. ASJ noticed all of these things, and sped up or slowed down in accordance with their needs. After a moment, though, he began to lose himself in the music, and poured his heart and all of his passion into his movements. Although his soulful music was somewhat difficult to dance to, it elicited reactions of amazement from the crowd.

"So," He spoke to himself as he played, "This is what utopia is. Not that garbage with no mortals…not anything temporary or fake…it's being surrounded by love…god, I was so stupid."

Uni blushed and looked over at him as Nepgear lowered her close to the ground in their waltz. "H-hey! I don't l-love her or anything! It's just…a spur of the m-moment!"

He chuckled. "Whatever you say." As he continued to play, he smiled brighter than he ever had before.


End file.
